Bumble explores sale as dating app growth stalls

Bumble is working with Morgan Stanley on a potential sale process, even as no deal is assured and the company could remain independent. The move comes after a brutal stretch for the Austin, Texas-based dating app maker, whose shares have fallen 48% over the past 12 months and whose market value has shrunk to about $388 million.

Bumble was founded in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd, after she co-founded Tinder, and built around a women-first model that required women to initiate contact. The company went public in 2021 at a valuation above $7 billion.

Bumble said first-quarter 2026 revenue fell 14.1% to $212.4 million, while Bumble app revenue dropped to $172.7 million from $201.8 million a year earlier. Bumble app paying users fell 23.1% to 2.1 million, and total paying users slipped 21.1% to 3.2 million as the company reset lower-engagement accounts and tried to improve the quality of its member base. Bumble said it plans to launch a rebuilt, AI-enabled experience later in 2026.

Bumble said full-year 2025 revenue fell 9.9% to $965.7 million, down from $1.0716 billion in 2024, while total paying users fell 11.5% to 3.7 million in 2025. The company had tried to offset slowing engagement by raising prices and improving monetization. Bumble has tried to widen its reach with Bumble For Friends, Bumble Bizz, Badoo, Fruitz and Official, but those products remain small relative to the core app, and Badoo dates back to 2006. Blackstone, which owns about 22% of Bumble, declined to comment, while Blackstone affiliates sold $28.2 million of Bumble shares this month.