Ithaca Holdings in Advanced Talks to Take Bumble Private
The proposed deal would sharply cut Bumble’s public valuation and set up a leadership and technology reset that investors and analysts say may not be enough to revive slowing user growth.
Overview
- This week Reuters and Bloomberg reported that Ithaca Holdings is in advanced negotiations to buy Bumble and delist the company with proposed price estimates ranging from about $1.0 billion to $1.3 billion.
- Reports say the transaction would install Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman as co‑CEOs while keeping founder Whitney Wolfe Herd involved in the business.
- Bumble’s user and revenue trends have deteriorated, with paid subscribers falling roughly 11% in 2025 to about 3.7 million and dropping a further 16.4% in Q2 2026 to about 3.2 million, and 2025 revenue near $966 million.
- Market data showed a large share‑price reaction when the news broke, with Bumble closing at $3.80 after a sharp intraday rise on the reports.
- Advisers including Morgan Stanley have worked on sale talks and Ithaca has said it plans to add technology to acquired assets, but analysts warn that private ownership alone may not fix the dating‑app industry’s structural challenges.