Bumble shares surged after Reuters reported possible private-equity talks with Ithaca Holdings.
Why it matters: The reported transaction would test investor appetite for consumer internet companies whose valuations have fallen sharply from pandemic-era highs. Bumble’s 2025 revenue and paying-user declines show the operating pressure behind the company’s depressed market value.
- Bumble shares rose about 52% to approximately $3.86 on October 12, 2026.
- Reuters reported that Ithaca Holdings was discussing a transaction involving Bumble at approximately $1 billion, but the figure’s valuation basis was not disclosed.
- Bumble’s market value was about $389 million before the rally and rose above $580 million afterward; its value exceeded $14 billion after its 2021 Nasdaq listing.
- Bumble’s 2025 revenue fell 9.9% to $965.7 million, while total paying users declined 11.5% to 3.7 million.
Bumble is in talks to be taken private by Ithaca Holdings, according to a Reuters report republished by Investing.com. The report described the discussions as advanced, but no definitive agreement or formal proposal had been announced. Neither company had responded by publication.
The reported $1 billion figure has not been identified as equity value, enterprise value or total transaction value. It therefore should not be treated as a confirmed company valuation. Compared with Bumble’s estimated $389 million market value at the October 9 close, it would represent roughly 150% more if the figures were measuring the same thing.
Bumble shares rose about 52% on October 12 to approximately $3.86. The rally put the company’s market value above $580 million, the BBC reported. A 52% increase on $389 million implies about $591 million. The difference from the reported figure above $580 million likely reflects rounding or different market-data calculations; the reports do not establish whether share-count changes were involved.
The post-rally value remains far below Bumble’s more than $14 billion peak after its 2021 Nasdaq listing, also reported by the BBC.
Ithaca Holdings was founded by Ravi Gupta, a Sequoia Capital partner and former Instacart executive, and John Hegeman, a former Meta chief revenue officer. Bloomberg reported that the founders planned to raise at least $1 billion and acquire at least one company, potentially using artificial intelligence to improve it.
Bumble’s 2025 results also showed pressure on the business: revenue fell 9.9% to $965.7 million and total paying users fell 11.5% to 3.7 million. For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, total revenue was $210.5 million, down from $248.2 million a year earlier, while adjusted EBITDA was $72.9 million. Adjusted EBITDA is a measure of operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, with adjustments. CFO Kevin Cook said Bumble was focused on financial discipline, product investment and operating flexibility.
By the numbers
- 52% - Bumble’s share-price increase on October 12, 2026
- $389 million - estimated market value at the October 9 close, before the rally
- $1 billion - reported transaction figure; the reports do not say whether it represents equity value, enterprise value or total transaction value
Yes, but: The reported talks had not produced a definitive agreement or formal proposal, and the $1 billion figure’s financial definition remains unclear. The exact difference between the implied $591 million post-rally market value and the reported value above $580 million cannot be resolved from the available reports.
What's next: The companies’ next steps and any formal proposal or definitive agreement were not announced.