Ithaca Holdings to Take Bumble Private in $1.3 Billion Deal

Bumble agreed to be acquired by Ithaca Holdings for $1.3 billion, or $6.05 per share, according to a statement issued on October 13, 2026, that was reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, which carried Bloomberg's account of the deal.

The price is a 138% premium to Bumble's closing share price on October 9, the last trading day before Bloomberg and other outlets reported that the two companies were in advanced talks. It is also far below the roughly $14 billion valuation Bumble carried when it went public in February 2021.

Ithaca Holdings was formed earlier in 2026 by Ravi Gupta, a Sequoia Capital partner, and John Hegeman, a former chief revenue officer at Meta. The two will become co-chief executives of Bumble once the transaction closes. The company will stay based in Austin, with other large offices in London and New York.

Whitney Wolfe Herd, who founded Bumble in 2014 at age 24 after cofounding Tinder, said she would "remain actively involved with Bumble."

Bumble and other dating apps have lost users as younger people pulled back from online dating. In August 2026, the company dropped its requirement that women message first, and earlier in 2026 it added an AI matchmaking assistant as an alternative to swiping.

Bumble shares rose as much as 57% to $5.98 in New York, after a 50% gain on October 12.

This story was first reported by SMH.com.au.