Shares surge following takeover report
Shares in dating app company Bumble rose by almost 50% on Monday after a report indicated it is in advanced talks regarding a potential $1bn (£757m) acquisition.
According to the Wall Street Journal, technology holding company Ithaca could announce an agreement to purchase the Texas-based firm as early as this week. The significant increase in stock value pushed Bumble’s market valuation to over $580m. Despite the surge, this remains substantially lower than the peak valuation of more than $14bn that the company achieved following its Nasdaq listing in 2021.
The BBC contacted both Bumble and Ithaca for comment.
Market pressures on online dating
Launched in 2014 by co-founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble grew to become one of the most downloaded dating applications globally. The platform initially built its brand identity around a feature requiring women to initiate conversations with matches, though it later abandoned that rule.
In recent years, online dating platforms have experienced slower growth and increased pressure as younger users have grown increasingly disillusioned with browsing for dates. In 2025, Bumble announced plans to cut nearly a third of its workforce amid what Wolfe Herd characterized as an inflection point for the online dating sector. Other industry players, including Match Group—which owns platforms such as Tinder, OkCupid, and Hinge—have also witnessed sharp declines in share prices from their 2021 peaks as companies struggle to persuade users to pay for services.
