FirmScope

Chicago directory · 106 firms

Boutique investment banks in Chicago

Chicago is the capital of American middle-market M&A, and most of the firms doing that work are ones you have never heard of. Beneath the household-name advisory houses the city founded sits a deep bench of independent banks selling family- and founder-owned industrial, food, distribution and services businesses across the Midwest. FirmScope tracks 106 boutique corporate finance and M&A firms in Chicago, each checked by hand: it exists, it is active, and the focus shown is the work it actually does.

The firms are below. The full directory carries a working website and LinkedIn link for every firm, named contacts where the firm publishes one, filters by deal type, and a tracker for running outreach properly.

42
M&A Advisory
15
Restructuring
14
Capital Raising
6
Debt Advisory

Look up a firm

25 of the 106 firms on the list

FirmFocusTeam size
Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL)Restructuring51-200
EC M&AM&A Advisory51-200
F&B Capital Partners-51-200
LivingstoneDebt Advisory51-200
Lumina Advisory Group, LLC-51-200
Madison Street CapitalM&A Advisory51-200
Marathon CapitalDebt Advisory51-200
MP Corporate FinanceM&A Advisory51-200
Origin Merchant PartnersM&A Advisory51-200
Pacific Capital Partners-51-200
Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc.M&A Advisory51-200
RedFlash-51-200
Alpha Alternatives LLCCapital Raising11-50
Armory GroupM&A Advisory11-50
Balmoral AdvisorsRestructuring11-50
Billow Butler & CompanyCapital Raising11-50
Blaige & CompanyM&A Advisory11-50
Bridgepoint Investment BankingCapital Raising11-50
Cast Advisors-11-50
City Capital AdvisorsDebt Advisory11-50
CMD Global PartnersM&A Advisory11-50
Colonnade Advisors LLCM&A Advisory11-50
Davis Capital, LLCRestructuring11-50
Dowling HalesM&A Advisory11-50
Financial Capital Resource-11-50

Ordered by team size, then name. Websites, LinkedIn pages, search and filters are in the full directory.

The other 81 firms

See the whole list, with working links and contacts

Every firm, verified website and LinkedIn links, named contacts where published, filters, private notes and an outreach tracker. Free account first, no card needed.

Create a free accountSee pricing

What counts as a boutique here

Independent corporate finance and M&A advisers with a genuine Chicago practice: mid-market M&A houses, restructuring and capital advisory specialists, and the sector teams serving the Midwest's manufacturers, food companies and business services firms. Partner-owned and small enough that juniors sit in the deal, not adjacent to it.

The bulge brackets' Chicago offices and the large national platforms the city is famous for founding are left out on purpose. This list exists for the firms that never post a job.

Full detail on sourcing and verification is on the methodology page.

Common questions

How many boutique investment banks are there in Chicago?

FirmScope currently tracks 106 in Chicago - one of the deepest mid-market advisory benches in the country. The count updates as firms launch, merge or wind down.

Why target boutiques instead of the large banks?

Far fewer applicants per seat, live deal exposure from day one, and hiring that mostly happens off-cycle through direct approaches. Chicago independents fill analyst seats without ever advertising them.

Does the list include websites and contacts?

The public page shows names, size and focus. Working website and LinkedIn links, named contacts where the firm publishes one, plus search, filters, notes and an outreach tracker are part of the paid product. A free account previews a small sample.

More Chicago directories

ConsultingVenture CapitalPrivate EquityAsset ManagementCorporate Law

Every city FirmScope covers, live and upcoming, is on the coverage page.