Bumble explores sale as market value sinks to $388M
What's the deal? Bumble is exploring a sale amid slowing growth across online dating, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The Austin-based company is working with investment bankers at Morgan StanleyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → on a potential sale, the sources said, asking not to be named because talks are private.
No deal is certain, and Bumble may stay independent.
Why now? Bumble's shares have fallen 48% over the past year, leaving it with a market value of just $388 million.
Total paying users dropped more than 11% in 2025 to about 3.7 million, while annual revenue fell nearly 10% to roughly $966 million.
In the first quarter of 2026, paying users fell about 20% year-on-year as the company trimmed lower-engagement accounts.
Whitney Wolfe HerdDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, who founded Bumble in 2014 and took it public in 2021 at over $7 billion, returned as chief executive officer in March 2025.
What could go wrong? Analysts say Bumble faces mounting competition, shifting user preferences, and broader fatigue with dating apps, especially among younger users.
Its "Built for Women, Better for Everyone" motto was once a key advantage but now looks less distinctive.
Efforts to expand beyond dating — Bumble For Friends and Bumble Bizz — remain small parts of the business.
Blackstone, which owns about 22% of Bumble, sold $28.2 million of shares this month.
The signal: The dating app boom is cooling. Bumble has raised prices to lift revenue per user, but that hasn't offset the exodus.
Even larger rival Match GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has faced slowing growth, though it has gained about 12% in market value over the past year.
For a company that went public at over $7 billion in 2021, a potential sale at a fraction of that price marks a stark reversal for the women-first pioneer.
