Bumble acquires Gen Z dating app Fruitz

Dating app company Bumble Inc announced on Monday that it has acquired French dating app Fruitz, marking its first-ever acquisition.  

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Launched in 2017 as a freemium dating app, Fruitz lets users convey their dating preferences through four fruit metaphors – cherries, grapes, watermelons, and peaches. Bumble says Fruitz, which is particularly popular with Gen Z, has seen rapid growth across France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, and Canada. 

Fruitz CEO Julian Kabab said, “Bumble’s vision and product has been an inspiration to us from day one. We’re so excited with the opportunity to grow as part of Bumble Inc., and work toward empowering more healthy relationships. The idea for Fruitz came from my very first experience with dating apps which was a disaster. Simply put, the lovely person I met had a very different intention to mine. Expressing what you’re looking for is not easy because we’re fearful of being judged. As a result, no one was being honest with their intentions and everyone was wasting each other’s time.

Bumble, which went public in February 2021 and surpassed $1 billion in global consumer spending last December, aims the Fruitz acquisition to support its mission to “create a world where all relationships are healthy and equitable”.

“Fruitz is a brand and leadership team that I’ve been following for years,” said Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble Founder & CEO. “Julian, Fabrice, and Arnaud are dynamic and brilliant leaders who have built a unique product that has struck a powerful chord with consumers in France and across Europe. By plugging Fruitz into our technology and data science platform, community support, brand and growth marketing, we can accelerate Fruitz’s growth.”