Struggling relationship app Bumble has a suitor.
The company is in superior talks to go non-public through a newly shaped investment firm for roughly $1 billion — a fraction of the more than $14 billion it was price following its 2021 stock market debut.
Ithaca Holdings, based by a Sequoia Capital companion and a former Meta government, could strike a deal as soon as this week, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
The negotiations could still disintegrate, Bloomberg famous, citing a individual acquainted with the matter.
Bumble shares jumped about 50% Monday following information of the potential buyout, giving the company a market capitalization of roughly $580 million, up from $335 million at Friday’s close.
Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd is going through a potential $1 billion buyout of the relationship app she launched in 2014. AFP via Getty Images
The potential buyout comes as Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd struggles to revive the relationship platform amid declining income and a shrinking base of paying customers.
Wolfe Herd, who co-founded Tinder before launching Bumble in 2014, is expected to stay concerned with the company and roll over at least half of her possession stake as half of the transaction, according to the Journal.
The 37-year-old entrepreneur returned as Bumble’s chief government in March 2025, a little more than a 12 months after stepping down.
Bumble reported second-quarter income of $210.5 million, down 15.2% from a 12 months earlier, while its quantity of paying customers plunged 16.4% to 3.2 million.
Dating app Bumble is in superior talks to be acquired by newly shaped investment firm Ithaca Holdings for roughly $1 billion. Boumenjapet – stock.adobe.com
The company posted a quarterly internet loss of $127.9 million and ended June with roughly $154 million in money.
Bumble in August deserted its signature requirement that ladies provoke conversations with male matches, permitting either individual to ship the first message as the relationship app struggled to retain paying prospects.
At rival Match Group, Hinge posted a 22% soar in second-quarter income, even as the company’s flagship relationship app Tinder struggled to regain momentum.
Bumble laid off roughly 30% of its workforce last 12 months, just months after Wolfe Herd returned as chief government.
Bumble was exploring a potential sale as early as June, with Morgan Stanley advising the company on strategic alternate options, Reuters reported at the time.
A September 2025 Daily Mail investigation alleged that Wolfe Herd mistreated former Tinder colleagues and was bodily abusive toward an ex-boyfriend — accusations she denied — while she acknowledged having used racial and homophobic slurs in the previous.
Wolfe Herd returned as Bumble’s chief government in 2025, months before the company laid off roughly 30% of its workforce. REUTERS
Wolfe Herd also came under fire last 12 months from former Tinder executives who disputed her standing as a co-founder of the relationship app and accused her of exaggerating her contributions to its early success.
Tinder co-founder Jonathan Badeen and former communications government Rosette Pambakian were among those who challenged her account forward of the release of “Swiped,” a Hulu movie starring Lily James as Wolfe Herd, Page Six reported in September 2025.
Her representatives have beforehand defended her co-founder title, while Wolfe Herd said she had no involvement in the movie.
The Post has sought remark from Bumble and Ithaca.
