Happn Acquired by Hello Group as CEO Calls for Industry Reinvention

French dating app Happn has been acquired by Beijing-based Hello Group, the parent company behind Momo and Tantan, in a deal announced Friday. Happn chief executive Karima Ben Abdelmalek said the deal will accelerate the company’s expansion across Asia, with China and Japan identified as key markets. The new ownership, she added, will also support Happn’s efforts to diversify beyond traditional matchmaking and create new social experiences for users. The acquisition was quietly completed sometime before the earnings call released on the 9th.

Founded in Paris in 2014, Happn gained traction with its geolocation-based feature, which connects users who cross paths in real life. While popular in markets such as Brazil, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands, the app has seen slower growth in the U.S. and Western Europe. Abdelmalek said the company remains profitable, with recent pushes into India and Turkey helping sustain momentum.

The acquisition comes amid broader challenges across the online dating industry. Match Group, owner of Tinder, and Bumble have both reported user declines in the past year, with shares in both companies dropping more than 80% since their 2021 peaks. Analysts point to a combination of market saturation and user disillusionment with swipe-based formats.

“The [internet dating] sector is pretty mature,” Abdelmalek told the Financial Times. “It’s [been] in a complete transformation phase since the Covid pandemic and needs to reinvent itself.” She noted that the key challenge is not competition among platforms, but the growing desire among users to spend less time on apps – a trend that is forcing services to rethink their value proposition.

To counter this shift, platforms are experimenting with features that push users toward real-world connections. Tinder introduced a Double Date mode earlier this year, while Breeze has grown by offering a text-free model where users go straight to scheduling dates. Happn itself has rolled out AI-driven recommendations for date venues and options to connect with people frequenting the same local spots – and given that Hello Group is currently pushing for AI as a solution to dating app fatigue, this may lead to Happn focusing even harder on AI to further its growth.