Bumble

Dating Apps · Consumer Tech · Private Equity

Acquisition

Ithaca Holdings to acquire Bumble in $1.3B all-cash deal

The payout marks a steep comedown from its $14 billion IPO valuation, as younger users abandon swipe-based dating apps.

• Bumble entered a definitive agreement to be acquired by Ithaca Holdings for $1.3 billion in cash, with shareholders set to receive $6.05 per Class A share.
• Bumble, founded in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd on a women-first dating model, will keep her involved as Ithaca co-CEOs Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman take over operations.
• The deal has no financing condition, carries a $102 million parent termination fee, and must close by July 12, 2027; principal stockholders already delivered written consent.
• Bumble's Q2 2026 revenue fell 15.2% year over year to $211 million, while paying users dropped 16.4% to about 3.2 million, underscoring the turnaround pressure behind the sale.
• Bumble went public in 2021 at roughly a $14 billion valuation; by the Monday before the deal, its market cap had shrunk to about $582 million.
• The sale signals a broader reset for swipe-based dating apps as Gen Z users shift toward group and offline-oriented connection features, pressuring both Bumble and rival Match Group.