With the acquisition of Geneva, Bumble Inc.’s friendship experience will evolve to help people discover and find groups of friends online to build connections offline 

For years, Bumble Inc. has championed healthy and equitable connections. We’ve always been about more than dating – and we’re deeply rooted in building connections across the various stages of a person’s life. With dating apps like Bumble, Badoo, and Fruitz; Official for deeper relationships; Bumble For Friends for making friends; and Bumble Bizz to meet professional contacts, Bumble Inc. has always been about connecting you to people online that you can grow and develop with offline. 

As a part of the Bumble app’s evolution launched last month, we’ve been evaluating our connection experiences across our portfolio and rethinking how we better serve our community within and outside of dating – specifically for friendship. In 2016 we launched Bumble For Friends, and this unique foray into friendship has turned into a vibrant connector of countless friendships, from besties to bridesmaids. 

Expanding our friendship vision 

Up to now, Bumble For Friends has looked very similar to our dating experience with a swipe-based interface designed for one-to-one connections and conversations. While our community loves Bumble For Friends, there is an opportunity to broaden the product experience to encompass the many ways friendships form – whether it’s one-to-one or within communities of people. 

So now, Bumble is outlining a new model for friendship and connection. The future of friendship at Bumble Inc. will grow beyond only one-to-one connections to a place where you can also find belonging within a community. Imagine a space where you can discover groups of people with shared interests and experiences one-on-one or as a part of a broader group. Whether it’s a running group in Soho or new parents in Springfield, our vision is to build an app that is the safe and kind online place where you can find friends. 

To support this reimagination of the friendship category, we’ve acquired Geneva, the popular Gen Z community app that is the “online place to find your offline people.” By bringing Geneva into Bumble Inc., we aim to rapidly accelerate making this vision a reality, and in the coming quarters, our community will be able to join a new, group-centered friendship experience built by Bumble Inc.

Expanding the ways people can discover and initiate friendships is more important than ever as we continue to live in a loneliness epidemic. We know friendship can help with health benefits ranging from an increased sense of belonging to reduced stress. Our own research found that more than two-thirds (67%) of Gen-Z respondents said making new friends online lessened their loneliness.

Built on a safe and kind platform

This experience – like all others on our platforms – will be about creating kind and safe spaces for connection. Our communities will be built for real people to connect with other real people. Rather than focusing on massive online forums, we’re committed to building curated, safe spaces for communities to connect. 

We can’t wait for you to see this new friendship experience, built by Bumble Inc. Until then, try Bumble For Friends today. 

Editors note: This post was originally published on May 20, 2024, and was updated on July 1, 2024, following the acquisition close.