Bumble Goes Public: Read CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd’s IPO Speech

On February 11, Bumble made its Wall Street debut with an initial public offering. Founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd gave this address before ceremonially ringing the Nasdaq opening bell.

Good morning, and a very special thank you to Adena Friedman and the entire Nasdaq family. Hello everyone, and to our teams tuning in from around the world.

While today represents a major milestone for our company, we first want to acknowledge just how challenging this last year has been. The world has undergone one of its most difficult and isolating times in modern history.

But what has emerged from this year is a renewed sense of the importance of our relationships.

Universally, across cultures, ages, and languages, we were not made to be alone. We are meant to love and to be loved. We are nothing without community, companionship, and support. Healthy and equitable relationships are the foundation of a happy life, and this year has reminded us of that truth more than ever before. That’s been Bumble’s driving force, every day, since we started, and will continue to fuel us as we embark on being a public company.

To every single one of our team members at Bumble and Badoo who’ve joined us on this journey, no matter how long or short your tenure, thank you for helping us build this company into what it is today. Team Bumble Inc., your hard work, dedication, and passion has made this possible.

To our partners at Blackstone, our ambassadors, friends, families, supporters, partners, board members, and current and former shareholders, we thank you for your tireless dedication. To everyone who wore Bumble gear, told their friends to try our apps, or cheered us on along the way, your invaluable contribution is not lost on us. You are the spirit of Bumble.

To our communities — our success stories, past and future: your love, happiness, friendships, new babies, opportunities, and adventures are what inspire us the most! And a heartfelt thank you to the brave women who dared to make the first move on Bumble now over 1.7 billion times. You’re rewriting the rules.

So today is day one of our commitment to our community and shareholders to build out our long-term vision: to be the platform to meet new people, no matter who you might be looking for, whichever life stage or situation you’re in.

We’re humbled and grateful to be with you today, and we look forward to building the future of love, friendship, networking, and community as we chip away at archaic gender dynamics and make the internet a kinder, more accountable place.

In closing, I want to thank the remarkable women who paved the way for Bumble in the public markets. By supporting and championing each other, we can break down barriers for the next generation of women and folks from marginalized communities. We can’t wait to cheer them on!

Welcome to Bumble Inc.! Thank you.