Blackstone Moves to Exit Bumble As An Investor

Private-equity firm Blackstone is moving towards a full exit from Bumble after almost seven years as an investor.

Blackstone first acquired a majority stake in Bumble’s parent company, MagicLab, in 2019 at a valuation of about $3 billion. Bumble subsequently went public in 2021, ending its first trading day with a market value of roughly $13 billion.

Since then, however, Bumble’s share price has fallen by more than 96% from its peak, leaving the company valued at less than $450 million, according to Business Insider.

Despite the decline, Blackstone’s investment has reportedly generated a substantial return. Analysis of regulatory filings by Business Insider indicates that Blackstone and co-investor Accel have recovered roughly twice their original $2.1 billion investment.

A significant part of that return came before Bumble’s longer-term decline became apparent. Blackstone sold shares during Bumble’s initial public offering, reducing its stake from 83.6% to 53.2% and receiving almost $2 billion. It subsequently sold another $1 billion of shares in 2021, when Bumble was trading at considerably higher levels.

Blackstone began accelerating its exit last year. In August 2025, it sold approximately $104 million worth of shares, while a deal with UBS allows the firm to sell less than 5% of Bumble each quarter. If the current pace continues, the firm could be out of its remaining position during the first half of 2027. Its involvement at board level has also ended. Two Blackstone-linked directors have stepped down from Bumble’s board since June, according to the report.