PE Firms in Chicago

With $62 billion in AUM, Adams Street deploys across venture, growth equity, buyouts, and private credit from its Chicago headquarters. The firm has served global institutional investors since 1972 with deep expertise in primary, secondary, and co-investment strategies. In April 2026, the firm closed its sixth co-investment fund with $2.5 billion of capital and raised $7.5 billion for its third private credit fund.

Founded in 1980, GTCR manages $50 billion across healthcare, financial services, technology, and information services. The firm specializes in middle-market growth buyouts and platform acquisitions, having scaled 300+ portfolio companies from its Chicago base.

Managing $31 billion across software, financial services, healthcare, and telecommunications, MDP has completed 150+ investments since 1992. The firm acquired Aon's wealth management unit for $2.7 billion. In June 2026, Madison Dearborn completed a strategic growth investment in Stephano Slack.

Promus Equity Partners is a private equity firm dedicated to helping business owners and managers build successful companies. The firm represents a community of investors, including entrepreneurs, and focuses on lower-middle-market companies with up to $15 million in EBITDA. Operating as a family office with a flexible investment mandate, Promus partners with management teams as value-added partners to pursue growth and strategic acquisitions. In October 2025, Promus acquired Enovis Corporation's Dr. Comfort diabetic shoe business for up to $60 million.

Managing $15 billion, Vistria combines PE expertise with social impact focus across financial services, healthcare, and education technology. Founded in 2013, the firm targets companies serving underserved populations from its Chicago base. In July 2026, Vistria and Eagle Real Estate Partners acquired a 402-unit Orange County apartment community, extending the real estate strategy the firm launched in 2023.

Valor manages $5+ billion in growth equity from its Chicago base, investing across consumer technology, automation, and infrastructure. Portfolio companies include Gopuff and various SpaceX portfolio exposures. In June 2026, Bloomberg reported Valor was seeking to raise a $2.5 billion seventh fund, following a $5.4 billion raise in January 2026 to finance Nvidia GPU purchases for xAI.

Since 1997, Walton Street Capital has deployed $50+ billion across office, industrial, multifamily, and hospitality properties from Chicago. The firm runs opportunistic and value-add strategies across real estate cycles. In February 2026, the Montana Board of Investments committed $200 million to a Walton Street debt fund, and the firm sold the Farmer Industrial Center in Tempe for $24.5 million. The $50+ billion figure is cumulative capital invested since 1997, not current assets under management.

Focused exclusively on healthcare, Water Street manages $3+ billion across healthcare services, healthcare IT, and business services. The firm specializes in lower middle-market buyouts from its Chicago headquarters, with 40+ platform companies in the portfolio. In May 2026, Water Street closed its sixth fund, Fund VI, at $1.9 billion.