TLDR
- Bumble stock rose about 50% on Monday to $3.78, its biggest one-day percentage gain on record.
- The Wall Street Journal reported the company is in advanced talks to go private at a value of about $1 billion.
- Ithaca Holdings, co-founded by Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman, is the reported buyer.
- CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd is expected to remain involved with the company.
- Bumble’s market value is now above $580 million, far below its 2021 peak of more than $14 billion.
Bumble (BMBL) stock jumped about 50% on Monday to close at $3.78. It was the biggest one-day percentage gain on record, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
The move followed a Wall Street Journal report that the dating app is in advanced talks to go private. The deal would value the company at about $1 billion.
The rally lifted Bumble’s market value to over $580 million. That is still far below the peak of more than $14 billion reached after its 2021 listing.
Even after Monday’s surge, the stock is up 8.5% this year. Over the past 12 months, it is still down 26%.
Who Is Behind the Deal
Ithaca Holdings is the reported buyer. The technology investment firm could announce a deal as early as this week, per the Journal.
Dating-app provider Bumble is in talks to be sold to upstart investment firm Ithaca for around $1 billion, according to sources https://t.co/zOtMBjDILj
— Bloomberg (@business) October 12, 2026
Ithaca was co-founded by Ravi Gupta and John Hegeman. Their LinkedIn profiles show Gupta was CFO of Instacart from 2015 to 2019.
Hegeman was chief revenue officer of Meta Platforms from December 2024 to February 2026. That is quite a resume for a buyer most investors had not heard of.
CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd is expected to remain involved with the company. Bumble and Gupta did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Barron’s.
The BBC also said it has contacted Bumble and Ithaca. No confirmation from either company was included in the reports.
A Rocky Road Since the IPO
Bumble went public in 2021 at $43 per share. Its market cap was $7.94 billion at that time.
Competition has been tough, including from Match Group. Dating apps have also dealt with online dating fatigue as users tire of the same swiping experience.
Match Group owns Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge, and its stock has also fallen sharply from its 2021 peak. It rose about 1% on Monday.
Bumble said in 2025 that it would cut almost a third of its workforce. Wolfe Herd described the industry as being at an “inflection point.”
In August, Bumble changed its core rule so all users, not just women, can send an opening message. Wolfe Herd said users wanted “more flexibility, less pressure, and more opportunities to create real, meaningful connections.”
The change sparked debate among users over whether the app lost what set it apart. A 2025 Ofcom report also found UK adults were spending less time on dating apps than three years earlier.
Ithaca Holdings could announce a deal as early as this week, according to the Journal. Bumble stock closed Monday at $3.78.
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