Blackstone to fully exit Bumble position

Blackstone is preparing to liquidate its remaining stake in Bumble in the first half of next year. The private equity firm entered into an agreement with UBS late last year to offload just under 5% of Bumble each quarter, positioning it to complete the exit after almost seven years together.

Blackstone and venture co-investor Accel initially put $2.1 billion into Bumble's parent MagicLab in 2019 at a $3 billion valuation. Despite Bumble shares dropping more than 96% from their post-IPO peak, Blackstone managed to recoup roughly double that initial outlay. A person familiar with the deal noted that the investment produced a 98% internal rate of return.

The returns were secured through early cash extractions. Blackstone collected a $334 million dividend via Bumble debt in late 2020. During Bumble's 2021 market debut, Blackstone lowered its holding from 83.6% to 53.2% and netted nearly $2 billion. Later in 2021, when Bumble traded above $50 per share, Blackstone sold another $1 billion in stock.

As Bumble's valuation slipped beneath $450 million, Blackstone continued trimming its holdings. It sold shares below $14 by late 2023 and completed a $104 million sale in August 2025. Blackstone currently holds 22.4 million Bumble shares valued at a little over $60 million, down sharply from the $1.084 billion it collected for a similar block of shares in late 2021. Both of Blackstone's board representatives, Jonathan Korngold and Martin Brand, also stepped down from Bumble's board by August.