Columbus

Columbus combines Ohio State University's talent pipeline with a deep base of insurance, retail, and logistics companies, anchored by Nationwide, L Brands legacy retail expertise, and a fast-growing presence of regional private equity firms like Stonehenge Partners. The city's central location and extensive distribution infrastructure have made it a magnet for e-commerce and supply chain consolidation, while its insurance and financial services base sustains a steady cadence of brokerage and specialty finance transactions. Columbus's middle market benefits from a strong bench of boutique investment banks, including Copper Run, supporting manufacturing, healthcare, and technology sellers across the $10 million to $250 million range. With Ohio's pro-business tax environment and Columbus's continued emergence as a Midwest logistics and retail innovation hub, the region offers steady, founder-driven deal flow anchored by genuine corporate scale.

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