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Telegram founder Pavel Durov to fund IVF for women using his donated sperm, promises heirs a share of his fortune
Telegram founder has said that he will fund IVF for women under 37 using his sperm and that all his biological children will inherit a share of his fortune.
Russian tech billionaire Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has said he will cover the full cost of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for women under the age of 37 who want to conceive using his donated sperm, adding that all of his biological children will one day inherit a share of his fortune.
Durov, 41, who is estimated to be worth nearly $17 billion, has claimed to have already fathered at least 100 children through sperm donation, in addition to six children from 3 partners, according to a report by the New York Post. He has described his sperm donations as a “civic duty," arguing that there is a global shortage of what he called “high-quality donor material” and that sperm donation should be destigmatised.
“As long as they can establish their shared DNA with me, someday maybe in 30 years from now, they will be entitled to a share of my estate after I’m gone,” Durov said during an interview on the Lex Fridman Podcast in October.
In a separate interview with French magazine Le Point, Durov said, “I make no difference between my children.”
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‘In-demand’ sperm
Durov has publicly linked falling sperm counts and rising infertility rates worldwide to environmental factors such as plastic pollution, and has said he is happy to help address the issue. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, his sperm has become highly sought after, with dozens of women responding last year to an advertisement at a Moscow fertility clinic offering his sperm for free.
The report said the Altravita Clinic in Moscow described Durov as having “high genetic compatibility” and noted that he would pay for IVF for women under 37 using his “in-demand” sperm. While Durov no longer donates directly, samples from earlier donations are reportedly still stored at the clinic. Access is restricted to unmarried women under 37 to avoid legal complications.
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Durov plans to ‘open-source’ his DNA
Durov previously said that his sperm donation began in 2010 when he agreed to help a friend who was struggling to have children, but he continued donating after being told by fertility specialists that there was a shortage. In a Telegram post in July 2024, the billionaire confirmed that his sperm is “still available”. He also announced plans to “open-source” his DNA so his biological children can easily find one another.
“My past donating activities has helped over a hundred couples in 12 countries to have kids,” he wrote, adding, “Of course there are risks, but I don’t regret having been a donor.”
“The shortage of healthy sperm has become an increasingly serious issue worldwide, and I’m proud that I did my part to help alleviate it,” the billionaire said.
