Bumble, the dating app company, agreed on October 13, 2026 to be acquired by Ithaca Holdings in an all-cash deal that values it at $1.3 billion. Shareholders will receive $6.05 for each Class A share, and Bumble will become a private company. The price is a fraction of the roughly $14 billion valuation Bumble had when it went public in 2021, TechCrunch reports.
The terms
Bumble's press release, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, sets out the deal:
| Term | Detail |
|---|---|
| Buyer | Ithaca Holdings, a holding company for technology businesses |
| Price | $6.05 cash per Class A share |
| Total value | $1.3 billion |
| Premium | About 138% over the October 9 closing price, before news of the deal |
| Premium to average | About 119% over the 30-day volume-weighted average price |
| After closing | Bumble becomes privately held |
The deal needs no shareholder vote. Affiliates of the investment firm Blackstone and of founder and chief executive Whitney Wolfe Herd have already approved it in writing. Bumble will mail shareholders an information statement instead.
A special committee of independent directors recommended the sale. The board then approved it unanimously, with Wolfe Herd recused. The release says closing still needs government and regulatory approvals, but gives no target date.
Ithaca is run by co-founders and co-chief executives Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman. In the release, they called the purchase "a bet on the future of humanity."
Why Bumble is selling
TechCrunch frames the deal as part of a reset for online dating. Bumble has lost paying users and revenue for years.
In the second quarter of 2026, according to TechCrunch:
- Revenue was $211 million, down 15.2% from a year earlier.
- Paying users fell 16.4%, to about 3.2 million.
Ann Mather, who chairs Bumble's board and the special committee, said in the release that the deal "represents the best outcome for our shareholders."
Wolfe Herd did not take part in the board's discussions or vote, TechCrunch reports, but she backs the sale and plans to stay involved. "In Ithaca, we have found a partner who shares our vision, believes in our women-first mission," she said.
What changes for users and investors
Bumble will not release third-quarter results or hold an earnings call, the SEC filing says. It will file its quarterly 10-Q report by November 9, 2026.
TechCrunch reports that Bumble is developing a new way to interact that could eventually replace swiping. It adds that going private could give the company room to build AI and in-person products.
The advisers are large firms. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley advised the special committee, with Davis Polk & Wardwell as legal counsel. Kirkland & Ellis advised Ithaca on legal matters, and KKR Capital Markets on capital markets.
What this means for developers
- Expect less public data. As a private company, Bumble will stop publishing quarterly user and revenue figures. Teams that benchmark against public dating-app numbers lose one data point.
- Watch the product roadmap. TechCrunch points to a possible replacement for swiping and new AI features. Developers who build on or integrate with Bumble's apps should plan for interface changes.
- Read the price as a market signal. A company once valued near $14 billion is selling for $1.3 billion. Subscription apps that rely on paid upgrades face the same pressure when paying users decline.
- Track the closing. The deal still needs regulatory approval, with no date set. Until it closes, Bumble's public filings remain the main source of official information.
This article was first published on Tech AI Wire.
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Sources
- Bumble agrees to a $1.3B acquisition deal as online dating faces a reset - TechCrunch
- Bumble Inc. Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1 - US Securities and Exchange Commission
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