Bumble agrees to $1.3B acquisition deal with Ithaca Holdings

Bumble has agreed to a $1.3 billion acquisition deal with Ithaca Holdings, a move that would take the dating app company private, according to TechCrunch. The agreement follows years of declining paying users, falling revenue and pressure to rethink online dating.

Founded in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble became known for an approach in which only women made the first move. The company went public in 2021 at a valuation of roughly $14 billion. Its second-quarter 2026 revenue was $211 million, down 15.2% year over year, while its paying user base fell 16.4% to approximately 3.2 million.

An independent committee of Bumble’s board reviewed strategic options and recommended the deal after consulting outside legal and financial advisers. Wolfe Herd did not take part in the board’s discussions or vote, according to the company’s press release. She said Ithaca shares Bumble’s women-first mission and plans to remain actively involved, working with Ithaca’s Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman and the Bumble team.

Going private could give Bumble more flexibility to test features and make changes outside the quarterly pressure of public markets. The company has been exploring AI-driven features and ways to help people connect offline. Plans, announced in July, brings people together through real-world activities. Wolfe Herd has also said Bumble is developing a new way for users to interact that could eventually replace the swipe-based model.