Chicago

Chicago is the dominant dealmaking hub of the Midwest and home to one of the deepest middle-market advisory benches outside of New York - anchored by William Blair, Lincoln International, Houlihan Lokey, and Mesirow, and backed by resident PE firms including GTCR, Madison Dearborn, Wynnchurch, and Linden Capital. The region's formidable industrial economy generates a reliable pipeline of Industrials, Food & Beverage, Healthcare Services, and B2B Technology transactions at every deal size. Chicago is particularly renowned for its buy-and-build culture, with sponsors executing serial add-on strategies in niche manufacturing, business services, and financial technology with institutional precision. With a high concentration of founder-owned businesses approaching succession and a deal community known for disciplined underwriting, Chicago offers competitive but rational multiples and a long track record of platform value creation.