Bumble shares soar after report dating firm in $1bn takeover talks
The jump pushed Bumble's stock market valuation to more than $580m but that is still far below their peak of more than $14bn.
Bumble shares jumped after report of $1bn takeover talks
Shares in dating app company Bumble surged by nearly 50% on Monday after a report said it was in advanced discussions to be acquired for about $1bn (£757m).
According to the Wall Street Journal, technology holding company Ithaca could announce a deal to buy the Texas-based company as soon as this week.
The rise in Bumble’s share price lifted its market valuation to more than $580m, though that remains well below the peak of over $14bn it reached after its Nasdaq listing in 2021.
Bumble is among the world’s most downloaded dating apps, operating in a crowded market where growth has slowed.
The company was founded in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd, who was also a co-founder of dating app giant Tinder.
Wolfe Herd built Bumble’s brand around a distinctive rule that allowed only women to start conversations with matches.
It recently dropped that rule, sparking debate among users over whether the app had lost the feature that made it stand out from rivals.
"Today, our community is asking for more flexibility, less pressure, and more opportunities to create real, meaningful connections and that is what this new experience provides," Wolfe Herd said in August.
Dating apps such as Bumble have faced pressure in recent years as some younger users have become disillusioned with searching for dates online.
In 2025, Bumble said it would cut almost a third of its workforce as the industry dealt with what Wolfe Herd called an "inflection point" in online dating.
Investments in other dating companies have also weakened as apps have struggled to persuade users to pay for their services.
Match Group - which owns apps including Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge - has also seen its shares fall sharply from their 2021 peak.
According to a 2025 report by media watchdog Ofcom, adults in the UK were spending less time on dating apps than they were three years earlier.