Company lists · Data refreshed September 2026

Top 25 Private equity recruiting firms based in Chicago, United States

RevenueBase identified 158 private equity recruiting firms headquartered in Chicago, United States as of September 2026 and tracks 4,424 professional contacts across them, including 2,185 with verified work emails. New York is the largest hub.

This list covers private equity recruiting firms headquartered in Chicago, United States, matched on what each company actually does as described in its own words. Ranked by team size, largest first. Every row shows the company's own description, how directly it supports the match, and when it was last checked. Data refreshed September 5, 2026.

Published by RevenueBase, a B2B data infrastructure company. This list was built with RevenueBase SmartSearch, the natural-language company search RevenueBase customers use to build their own targeted lists and unlock verified emails and direct dials at the companies on them. How these lists are built and judged.

How to read this list HQ checked on every row Match evidence on every row Refreshed Sep 5, 2026 86% judged on-target in blind review
158Companies
4,424Contacts tracked
2,185Verified emails
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The 25 largest private equity recruiting firms based in Chicago, United States

Ranked by team size
Top 25 of 158 private equity recruiting firms based in Chicago, United States, ranked by team size, largest first. Data refreshed Sep 5, 2026. Evidence rates how directly each company's own description names private equity recruiting firms: strong (names it), partial (names part of it), indirect (matched on its full profile rather than the summary shown). Click a count to unlock that company's people.
#CompanyHeadquartersEmployeesContacts
1
Lincoln InternationalStrong evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 20261,001-5,0001,489

“Lincoln International, Inc.(NYSE: LCLN) is a trusted investment banking advisor to business owners and senior executives of leading private equity firms and their portfolio…”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
2
DHR GlobalIndirect evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 2026501-1,000656

“For more than 35 years, DHR has been a leading provider of executive search, leadership consulting and emerging leader search solutions, serving more than 60 markets around the…”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
3
SBI PartnersIndirect evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 2026n/a295

“SBI Partners is a boutique search firm with 50 years of combined recruitment experience specializing in the placement of Accounting, Finance and Supply Chain professionals.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
4
The Jacobson GroupIndirect evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202651-200251

“The Jacobson Group is the leading provider of talent to the insurance industry.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
5
Hunt ClubStrong evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202651-200105

“Hunt Club is an executive search firm for pre- and post-IPO companies, private equity and venture capital firms, and their portfolio business leaders who require access to…”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
6Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202651-20099

“Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC ("MDP") is a leading private equity investment firm based in Chicago that, since its formation in 1992, has raised aggregate capital of…”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
7
HarmerPartial evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202651-20089

“Founded in 1986, Harmer is a trusted recruiting partner specializing in Accounting, Finance, and Information Technology.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
8
Slayton Search PartnersIndirect evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5080

“Since our beginning in 1985, Slayton Search Partners' strategy has been to focus on possibilities, not limitations.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
9
Flexpoint FordStrong evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202651-20079

“Flexpoint Ford is a specialist private equity firm focused on financial services and adjacent verticals.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
10
RCP AdvisorsStrong evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202651-20078

“Founded in 2001, RCP Advisors, a strategy of Ridgepost Capital (NYSE: RPC), is a private equity investment firm that provides access to North American small buyout fund managers…”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
11
CMC Consultants, INCIndirect evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5065

“CMC Consultants Inc.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
12
JBM RecruitmentIndirect evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 2026n/a60

“Your retained source for executive search!”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
13Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202651-20054

“Founded in 1994, 20/20 Foresight is a national executive search and full-service talent advisory firm that specializes in real estate, financial services, and professional…”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
14
JobplexPartial evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202651-20048

“Since 1996, Jobplex has served the emerging leader recruiting market, complementing the senior-level retained executive search services provided by our parent company, DHR Global.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
15
PiercegrayIndirect evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5044

“As a boutique retained search firm, PierceGray helps clients succeed by finding the right leaders.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
16
Civc PartnersStrong evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5043

“CIVC Partners is a private equity firm, based in Chicago, focused on middle market buyout, recapitalization, and growth equity investments in industry sectors where our firm can…”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
17
The Edgewater FundsStrong evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5035

“The Edgewater Funds is a Chicago-based private equity firm with over $4 billion of capital commitments raised since 2001.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
18
BCIPartial evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5035

“BCI is a boutique recruiting firm that has served the financial services industry nationwide for more than 25 years.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
19
Access Search, INCIndirect evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5026

“ASI is more than just a reliable search firm; we are a trustworthy business partner.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
20
LMB AssociatesPartial evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 20261-1026

“Although the recruitment business can be transactional, LMB Associates believes in a collaborative, personalized approach to recruiting, building valued relationships with both…”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
21
Grayson Search PartnersIndirect evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5025

“As a premier search firm, Grayson Search Partners specializes in connecting exceptional talent with organizations.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
22
Benford Capital PartnersStrong evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 20261-1021

“Benford Capital Partners is a Chicago-based private equity investment firm focused on leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations of lower middle market companies.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
23
Lantern PartnersIndirect evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5021

“Founded in 2003, Lantern Partners is a premier, retained, executive recruitment firm, focused on C-level and executive leadership positions for the investor-backed technology…”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
24
Periscope EquityStrong evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5020

“Periscope Equity is a Chicago-based private equity firm that partners with founder-owned, business services companies.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026
25
Veridian National SearchPartial evidence
Chicago, IL, United StatesHQ checked Sep 5, 202611-5020

“Veridian National Search is your partner, and our focus is on conducting custom recruiting.”

Source: company website · checked Sep 5, 2026

Showing 25 of 158 private equity recruiting firms based in Chicago, United States

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Private equity recruiting firms based in Chicago, United States at a glance

As of Sep 5, 2026
1-10Median size (employees)
New YorkLargest hub · 489 HQs
Contacts with mobile numbers
Sep 5, 2026Data refreshed

Companies by employee count

1-10
97
11-50
45
51-200
12
201-500
2
501-1,000
1
1,001-5,000
1

Email recency for this list is measured across the whole United States list rather than this city, so it is reported there. Company counts and contact totals on this page are exact for Chicago, over 158 companies.

How this list was built

Company categories are rarely black and white. RevenueBase reads each company's own description of its business to decide whether it belongs among private equity recruiting firms, so some rows will be adjacent to the category rather than pure plays. The description and evidence rating on every row are there so you can check each match yourself.

Source
The RevenueBase company graph: 60 million companies and 398.9 million professional contacts resolved from primary sources, queried with RevenueBase SmartSearch, the natural-language company search available to every RevenueBase user.
What qualifies
Companies headquartered in Chicago, United States whose own description of what they do matches “private equity recruiting firms”. Matching reads each company's description, not its industry code or its name.
What we exclude
Companies whose own description does not clearly place them among private equity recruiting firms, and records with no verified work email. Companies headquartered outside Chicago are excluded even when they keep an office there.
Match quality
In blind human judging of this matching method, 86% of matched companies were on target. Expect roughly 1 in 7 rows to be adjacent to the category rather than a pure play. Every row shows the company's own description and an evidence rating so you can judge each match yourself. Read the full methodology: how the lists are built, how the judging worked, and what the figure means.
Ranking
Team size, largest first: companies are ordered by the number of professionals RevenueBase tracks at each one. Employee ranges shown are reported bands, for context.
Verification
Every listed company carries at least one verified work email, 2,185 across the full list. Contacts re-verify on a rolling cadence, and each contact's own verification date is shown inside RevenueBase.
Refresh
This page's figures were pulled from the company graph on September 5, 2026. Lists refresh periodically as the graph is re-checked.
Corrections
Wrong category, wrong headquarters, or a company that has closed? Use “Report an issue” on any row. Reports go to the RevenueBase Data Team and feed back into the company graph.

Frequently asked

How many private equity recruiting firms are there based in Chicago, United States?

RevenueBase identified 158 private equity recruiting firms headquartered in Chicago, United States as of September 2026, matched on each company's own description of what it does rather than its industry code.

What is the largest company on this list?

Lincoln International, headquartered in Chicago, tops this list with the largest team on record.

Which city has the most private equity recruiting firms?

New York leads with 489 headquartered companies, followed by Chicago (158) and Atlanta (124).

How do I get contact information for these companies?

A free RevenueBase account lets you run this exact search and work the top results, verified emails and direct dials included. Upgrading unlocks all 2,185 verified decision-maker contacts tracked across these 158 companies.

How current is this list?

The list refreshes periodically as the company graph is re-checked. This page's figures were pulled on September 5, 2026.

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About this data

RevenueBase is a B2B data infrastructure company. Its company graph covers 60 million companies and 398.9 million professional contacts, with emails verified on a rolling cadence rather than scraped once and left to decay. These company lists are generated directly from that graph with RevenueBase SmartSearch, the same natural-language company search every RevenueBase user has: describe a market in plain words, get the companies that match, and add verified emails and direct dials for the people at them. It is the same data that powers RevenueBase's B2B data products, and a free account includes 500 credits to start. How these lists are built and judged.