Shares in dating app operator Bumble surged by almost 50% on Monday, after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Texas-based company is in advanced negotiations to be acquired for about $1bn (£757m).
According to the Wall Street Journal, technology holding company Ithaca could confirm a deal to buy Bumble as early as this week.
The rally lifted Bumble’s market capitalisation above $580m, though that figure remains well short of the more than $14bn valuation the company reached following its 2021 listing on the Nasdaq.
Bumble ranks among the most downloaded dating apps globally, competing in a sector where user growth has cooled. The BBC has approached both Bumble and Ithaca for comment.
The app was founded in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd, who had previously co-founded rival dating giant Tinder.
Wolfe Herd centred Bumble’s identity on a signature mechanic requiring women to make the first move in conversations with matches.
The company recently dropped that requirement, sparking discussion among users about whether the platform had surrendered the feature that distinguished it from competitors.
“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.
In recent years, apps such as Bumble have faced mounting pressure as a portion of younger users have become disenchanted with swiping through potential dates.
Bumble announced in 2025 that it would shed nearly one-third of its staff, as the sector contended with what Wolfe Herd characterised as an “inflection point” in online dating.
Investment in other dating businesses has likewise turned sour, with apps struggling to persuade users to pay for their offerings.
Match Group, whose portfolio includes Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge, has similarly watched its shares decline steeply from a 2021 peak.
A 2025 report by media watchdog Ofcom found that adults in the UK were devoting less time to dating apps than they had three years prior.
Some singles are instead gravitating towards board game meet-ups, book clubs and similar group gatherings in the hope of meeting a partner.
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