Bumble BMBL is in advanced talks to be taken private by Ithaca Holdings in a deal that values the dating app operator at roughly US$1 billion, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday. Shares of the Austin, Texas-based company, which had a market value of roughly $389 million through last close, surged around 50 per cent to $3.81 following the report. Bumble and Ithaca, a holding company for technology businesses founded by Silicon Valley executives Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Reuters exclusively reported earlier this year that Bumble was exploring a sale amid slowing growth in the online dating sector. Bumble and larger rival Match Group MTCH.O, which owns Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid, have come under pressure in a crowded dating-app market, particularly as younger Gen Z subscribers grow disillusioned with endless swiping, leading to softer user engagement. Founded in 2014 by CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble pioneered the “women-first” approach to online dating. Under Wolfe Herd, who returned to the CEO role in March last year after stepping down in January 2024, the company has rolled out AI-powered features and new ways for users to connect as it works to reinvigorate growth. Total paying users for Bumble fell more than 11 per cent in the full year 2025 to about 3.7 million, while annual revenue declined nearly 10 per cent to about $966 million. In the second quarter ended June 30, its total paying users decreased 16.4 per cent to 3.2 million. Shares of the company have fallen around 29 per cent this year. (Reporting by Milana Vinn in New York and Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda and Shilpi Majumdar)
