Hello Group Buys a Majority Stake in Inner Circle

Hello Group, the Nasdaq-listed owner of Momo, Tantan, happn and Coffee Meets Bagel, has acquired a majority stake in Inner Circle, the Amsterdam-based dating app, the companies announced on November 2. The size of the stake and the price were not disclosed, according to The Next Web and Exame.

Inner Circle was founded in 2012 and reviews applications before admitting members. It has nearly 9 million members, mostly in Europe and Latin America, and runs interest-based groups called Circles along with in-person events. It will keep its name and stay in Amsterdam, and member data will remain subject to the EU's GDPR, The Next Web reported. Hello Group will provide technology, product development and operational support as Inner Circle expands into new markets.

"We believe the next phase of growth in online dating will be driven by platforms that understand their communities deeply," Hello Group chairman and CEO Tang Yan said. Inner Circle co-founder and CEO David Vermeulen called the deal "an exciting new chapter."

The deal adds a curated, application-based brand to a Hello Group portfolio that already spans large swipe apps in China, happn in Europe and Coffee Meets Bagel in the U.S.

Why it matters: Consolidation in dating now has a serious buyer outside the U.S. Hello Group is assembling mid-sized Western brands with distinct audiences and putting them on shared technology and operations. For founders of curated or niche apps with a few million members, it shows there are strategic buyers beyond Match, and that a defined community is what they are paying for. With no disclosed price, the deal offers no valuation benchmark yet.

Sources: The Next Web: Hello Group buys majority stake in Dutch dating app Inner Circle, November 2, 2026 · Exame: Hello Group compra controle do Inner Circle, November 2, 2026