Ithaca Holdings to take Bumble private in $1.3 billion cash deal

Bumble Inc. agreed to be bought by Ithaca Holdings for $1.3 billion in cash, a deal that would remove the dating app company from public markets, Global Dating Insights reported on October 13, 2026.

Investors are to be paid $6.05 for each share, which the companies said works out to 138% above where the stock finished on October 9 and 119% above its 30-day volume-weighted average.

Ithaca Holdings, a technology investment holding company, was set up by Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman, who will take over as co-chief executives of Bumble after the deal closes. The firm buys established technology businesses and says it applies artificial intelligence and operating experience to expand them. Founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, who returned as chief executive in March 2025, will stay involved and said Ithaca backs the company's women-first approach.

An independent committee of directors recommended the agreement and the board approved it unanimously, with Wolfe Herd abstaining. Blackstone affiliates and Wolfe Herd have already supplied the shareholder consent needed.

Bumble, which also owns Badoo and the BFF friendship app, was valued at about $14 billion when it listed in 2021. Second-quarter 2026 revenue dropped 15.2% from a year earlier to $210.5 million, and paying users fell 16.4% to 3.2 million.

The company will keep its Austin headquarters, with offices in London and New York. The deal is subject to regulatory and other closing conditions; no closing date was given.

This story was first reported by Global Dating Insights.