Technical.ly Ecosystems Map

Alabama has begun investing in a pro-entrepreneurship narrative relative to its modest innovation fundamentals. Statewide Innovate Alabama and ecosystem-level organizers are active, even though its inventor density, young-firm employment and overall dynamism remain on the low side. Huntsville’s NASA-rooted aerospace and defense complex, paired with emerging health and fintech activity in Birmingham and Mobile, gives Alabama a diversified but still modest startup pipeline that needs higher startup rates and better R&D commercialization to convert attention into broader entrepreneurial gains. Alabama does have innovation output from its regional ecosystems, startup support engagement, federal Tech Hub designation and the University of Alabama system and Auburn but it needs to invest in advancing this reputation to attract and retain the talent it has.

Primary ecosystem: Birmingham

Birmingham is a “health and hard problems” ecosystem: healthcare delivery, biotech adjacent to clinical systems, and enterprise software built around regulated industries. It benefits from statewide momentum and a clearer story than it used to have, but it still needs more repeatable founder pathways and more late-stage capital. The city has charming urbanism downtown and low-cost of living outside of it, but faces population decline and constrained investments in infrastructure and professional development.

• Strengths: Healthcare gravity, data-rich clinical environments, and operational problem sets that translate into scalable B2B products
• Weaknesses: Thin local venture density versus coastal peers; fewer “serial founders” at scale
• Organizers to know: TechBirmingham; Innovate Alabama; EDA Tech Hub designation: Birmingham Biotechnology Hub
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Sloss.Tech, a flagship founder/investor convening (typically August): 
• For more, read this profile by Technical.ly.

Primary ecosystem: Huntsville 

Huntsville is an “applied science and systems engineering” ecosystem: aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, space systems, and high-reliability software. Its anchor is Cummings Research Park — one of the largest research parks in the world — and its economy is shaped by Redstone Arsenal, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and a dense contractor network that has quietly built one of the country’s most technically sophisticated workforces. The region has strong STEM talent retention, high salaries relative to cost of living, and unusually deep federal–industry collaboration. But it still needs a more visible commercial pathway for spinning out startups from big engineering environments, and stronger cross-pollination between government contracting firms and entrepreneurial builders.

Best time to visit this ecosystem: Space & Missile Defense Symposium (August 11-13, 2026)

Strengths: High-density engineering workforce; federal anchor institutions; strong systems-integration and aerospace expertise; deep R&D and prototyping capability; high patenting relative to population

Weakness: Heavily reliant on federal government, defense contracting and big institutional research, means a more diversified entrepreneur ecosystem can be overlooked

Organizers to know: Innovate Alabama; Huntsville–Madison County Chamber; HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology; Cummings Research Park; EDA Tech Hub finalist (BRIDGES Engine–aligned activity)

Alaska’s innovation strengths are “frontier applied”: energy, logistics, climate resilience, Arctic systems, fisheries and defense-related capabilities. The weakness is scale: The famously isolated state is also the country’s least dense. A small population base makes it harder to build dense talent networks and keep startups funded locally. But those who fall in love with “the last frontier” tend to fall hard. The state has attracted federal funding tied to defense technology, environmental resilience and climate technology, including an EDA Tech Hub, led by the Alaska Tech Strategy Development Consortium, which includes the Cook Inlet Tribal Council.

Primary ecosystem: Anchorage 

Nearly 40% of the state’s 700,000 residents live in Anchorage, which has its outdoorsy charm. It is the state’s primary economic engine, and therefore Alaska’s connective tissue for entrepreneurship — where logistics, services and university-adjacent commercialization most often meet. The best startups here tend to be practical, exportable solutions built from Alaska-specific constraints.

• Strengths: High-value niche domains (Arctic operations, remote logistics, energy systems) and relatively self-contained state economy
• Weaknesses: Far more scientific than commercialization expertise, with nearly nonexistent capital networks and scaling-stage experienced entrepreneurs
• Organizers to know: University of Alaska Anchorage innovation programs; local small business and startup support groups and Alaska Startups, the primary entrepreneur support organization

Best time to visit this ecosystem: Alaska Entrepreneurship Week (early fall)

Arizona is a semiconductor-and-systems state: chips, aerospace/defense, industrial automation and fast-growing metro labor markets. The growth creates opportunity — and strain — as ecosystems must keep talent, housing and infrastructure aligned. Arizona looks like a growth state: Technical.ly’s storytelling score puts it near the top nationally, as a flood of media attention has followed massive infrastructure buildouts. The state also posts high startup rates, strong young-firm employment and high dynamism, with mid-pack inventor density. Anchored by Phoenix’s CHIPS Act semiconductor boom and Tucson’s optics and defense cluster, Arizona is rapidly becoming one of the Southwest’s most balanced innovation corridors, though rural and tribal founders are still underrepresented in the visible narrative. Big infrastructure booms always risk a bust, so Arizona’s investments now must include ground-level ecosystem building: cultivating a more mature entrepreneurial community and ongoing communications strategy to scale with its growth.

Primary ecosystem(s): Phoenix 

Phoenix is a sprawling, fast-growing desert metro. Its scale-up is powered by manufacturing investment, defense/aerospace and a large, growing workforce base. The ecosystem’s biggest opportunity is moving from “fast growth city” to “repeatable startup factory,” with deeper capital networks and more founder density. Blessed by fast population growth and big infrastructure investments, the region’s economic development leaders have overcome a late-start on entrepreneurship ecosystem building. Lacking an elite research university and startup pedigree, more recently locals are behind a new entrepreneur support organization called Freeway.

• Strengths: Massive economic development infrastructure investment sin chips and advanced manufacturing tailwinds; population growth
• Weaknesses: The state’s economic development brand still leans more traditional infrastructure and tourism, vs founder-led storytelling; need more visible breakout startups
• Organizers to know: Entrepreneur support organization called Freeway; Arizona Technology Council; Greater Phoenix Economic Council; ASU entrepreneurship networks; local startup hubs and meetups
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Phoenix Startup Week (November)
• For more, read this guest commentary from an economic development leader

Arkansas is among the country’s leaders in corporate-linked innovation, but has a limited reputation outside its narrower geographic reach. The state has a middling storytelling score, lower inventor density and dynamism. But the state is elevating pro-entrepreneurship priorities alongside its pro-business legacy. Northwest Arkansas retail, logistics and corporate density  supports a mid-range startup rate and young-firm employment, but the next frontier is extending entrepreneurial activity into manufacturing and ag-tech across the rest of the state.

Primary ecosystem(s): Bentonville

The broader Northwest Arkansas region leverage Walmart, Tyson and J.B. Hunt as anchors for logistics, retail tech and corporate innovation, plus a growing startup community in Bentonville and Fayetteville. The opportunity for 2026 is connecting this corporate-heavy cluster to rural founders in the Delta and to emerging outdoor-recreation and arts-driven entrepreneurship that can round out the narrative. The best companies here tap national customers quickly, but the ecosystem must keep building independent capital, a broader founder bench and a collective identity via an ongoing storytelling strategy.

• Strengths: Proximity to global retail operations and vendor networks, relatively low cost of living 
• Weaknesses: Risk of “corporate orbit” limiting independent startup diversity
• Organizers to know: Northwest Arkansas Council; Startup Junkie; University of Arkansas entrepreneurship programs; regional startup organizations and chambers
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Retail Innovation Week (September)

California remains the country’s deepest innovation economy: software, AI, biotech, climate tech, creative tech and the venture capital center of gravity. No other state comes even close. But its reputation is dogged by high costs, distracting politics and startup bubbles.  California’s weakness isn’t “ideas”; it’s affordability, permitting friction and keeping broad-based talent access. If California were a country, it would be one of the world’s most beautiful, economically dynamic and culturally influential. Yet it needs another generation of reinvention to remain the country’s leader.

Primary ecosystem(s): San Francisco

SF is still the global standard of startup urban innovation district, with the world’s densest networks of repeat founders, experienced capital and technical expertise. The city is still charming and dynamic. But its peerless entrepreneurial success collided with progressive politics into a culture-war battleground. High housing costs, inequality optics, and pushback against growth has grated on the region’s economic engine.

• Strengths: venture density; AI/software concentration
• Weaknesses: cost structure; regulatory friction
• Organizers: major accelerators, universities, founder communities
• Best time to visit: SF Tech Week; many large corporate user conferences

Primary ecosystem(s): San Jose

San Jose is the “engineering and scaled innovation” half of Silicon Valley — the suburban–corporate spine to San Francisco’s urban founder core. A common rule of thumb is this: San Francisco is where ideas get funded; San Jose is where they get engineered, manufactured, and scaled. While outsiders often treat the region as a single ecosystem, practitioners know the gravity here is different: more hardware, semiconductors, applied AI, advanced manufacturing, and enterprise infrastructure. Anchored by giants like Cisco, Adobe, Intel and Nvidia, plus Stanford-adjacent spinoffs and South Bay R&D labs, San Jose has unmatched technical depth and supply-chain maturity. The tradeoff is a less walkable urban fabric, a more corporate culture, and the same high cost structure that challenges the entire Bay Area.

• Strengths: The world’s leading hub for hardware and semiconductor leadership; enterprise infrastructure talent; deep tech commercialization; R&D labs with decades-long continuity
• Weaknesses: high cost of living; relatively early-stage founder density relative to SF; constrained land use; heavy dependence on large-firm employment
• Organizers to know: Silicon Valley Leadership Group; Joint Venture Silicon Valley; Stanford-affiliated innovation hubs; corporate R&D campuses
• Best time to visit: Silicon Valley Open Doors (SVOD) Conference, GTC (Nvidia’s GPU Conference), or SEMICON West for the deepest hardware/AI energy

Primary ecosystem(s): Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the country’s most diverse innovation economy — an ecosystem where entertainment, aerospace, logistics, fashion, gaming, AI, and consumer culture fuse into a unique commercial engine. LA’s founder base tilts toward applied creativity and audience-driven products, supported by world-class content studios, DTC brands, next-gen media companies, and a fast-rising aerospace sector around Hawthorne, El Segundo and Long Beach. The region’s size gives it unmatched demand-side advantages, but its sprawl, fragmented community structure and uneven capital access make ecosystem navigation harder than in denser hubs.

• Strengths: creative-tech convergence; aerospace resurgence; massive consumer markets; strong talent in design, gaming, and production
• Weaknesses: fragmentation across sub-regions of this sprawling metro; weaker early-stage community infrastructure; transportation friction and unfriendly reputation
• Organizers to know: Amplify; Techstars LA; Grid110; Expert Dojo; local aerospace accelerators in El Segundo
• Best time to visit: LA Tech Week 

Primary ecosystem(s): San Diego

San Diego is one of the world’s leading life sciences and defense-tech commercialization hubs — a research-dense, globally connected ecosystem built around UC San Diego, Scripps, Salk, and a deep biotech and genomics supply chain. San Diego turns science into companies. Unlike the Bay Area’s software gravity or LA’s creative markets, San Diego’s strength is the tight loop between academia, federal labs and industry, with founders often emerging directly from research environments. It also has a growing cybersecurity and naval-adjacent tech sector due to the region’s military footprint. The tradeoff: the ecosystem is deeply specialized, which can limit cross-industry collisions and reduce software-centric startup density. Compared to California’s global regional powerhouses, San Diego needs to work at telling its story.

• Strengths: biotech and genomics leadership; strong research commercialization; large defense-tech presence; stable talent pipelines
• Weaknesses: sector concentration (biotech-heavy); limited generalist VC density; fewer large exits outside life sciences; elevated cost structure
• Organizers to know: Connect San Diego; Biocom California; EvoNexus; UCSD-affiliated commercialization programs
• Best time to visit: San Diego Startup Week

Colorado has quietly become the Mountain West’s most balanced innovation economy: software, climate tech, aerospace, quantum and outdoor products, powered by long-running migration gains and strong startup rates. Denver–Boulder is the core, but Fort Collins and Colorado Springs add depth in energy, defense and applied research. Technical.ly’s storytelling score puts Colorado in the upper tier, and the 2024 Elevate Quantum Tech Hub win cemented the state’s global credentials in next-generation computing, with more than $40 million in federal funding and sizable state and private matches. The challenge is familiar: high housing costs in the Front Range, infrastructure strain and uneven rural inclusion. Colorado’s next wave of ecosystem building will be judged on how well it connects quantum and deep tech wins to broadly shared entrepreneurial opportunity.

Primary ecosystem(s): Denver–Boulder

Denver–Boulder was made famous by a clutch of Silicon Valley expats who did it their own way. Their personal networks and reputations powered this region’s reputation, combined with credible pro-entrepreneurship policy and startup strengths in SaaS, climate tech, fintech, health tech and now quantum. Boulder’s university and research roots pair with Denver’s corporate and financial base to make a single, integrated corridor. Elevate Quantum’s Tech Hub designation and funding tilt the region toward global leadership in quantum information science, while climate and outdoor brands keep attracting talent that wants both technical challenge and lifestyle amenities. The risk is a Bay Area–style affordability crunch and a perception that the Front Range is “full,” which could slow inclusive growth or push founders to cheaper markets. Likewise, as the Techstars-adjacent cohort of regional champions age, new organizing and communications strategies are necessary for welcoming in new and holding to account now-established leaders.

• Strengths: Diversified tech mix across SaaS, climate and fintech; growing quantum cluster; deep outdoor and lifestyle draw; strong university and lab presence
• Weaknesses: Rising cost of living; housing and infrastructure strain; under-told rural and non-Front Range founders; Constrained new generation of ecosystem leaders
• Organizers to know: Techstars; Energize Colorado; Colorado Technology Association; Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT); Elevate Quantum; local startup hubs and meetups in Denver and Boulder
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Colorado Startup Week, formerly Denver Startup Week (September)
• For more, read https://technical.ly/startups/tomorrow-tour-denver/

Connecticut is a “small but specialized” innovation state: insurance and fintech in Hartford, advanced manufacturing along the I-91 and I-95 corridors, and life sciences emerging from Yale and UConn. The state’s fundamentals are middling on dynamism and startup rates, but its research intensity and corporate density are real assets that haven’t yet translated into a broad startup culture. Technical.ly’s storytelling score reflects this: plenty of university and corporate communications, but fewer independent ecosystem storytellers knitting the pieces together. With an aging population and high costs, Connecticut’s next chapter will depend on whether it can turn legacy strengths in insurance, precision manufacturing and healthcare into founder-led companies rather than just corporate innovation projects.

Primary ecosystem(s): Hartford–New Haven

Hartford–New Haven is an “insurance and ideas” corridor: insurtech, fintech, health tech and advanced manufacturing. Hartford’s global insurance brands have begun seeding an insurtech ecosystem, while New Haven’s Yale-driven life sciences and biotech spinoffs give the region scientific depth. Hartford Innovation Week and similar efforts show an emerging public-facing narrative, but early-stage density and visible exits still lag far behind Boston and even other small and mid-sized ecosystems in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and elsewhere in New England The opportunity is to own the “applied risk and resilience” beat — from insurtech to climate adaptation — with more independent capital and dedicated storytelling that reaches beyond New England.

• Strengths: Global insurance cluster; strong research universities; proximity to NYC and Boston; growing insurtech and health tech scenes
• Weaknesses: Thin visible startup community compared with neighboring giants; modest venture density; perception as a corridor rather than a destination; Limited reputation for startup and innovation
• Organizers to know: InsurTech Hartford; CTNext; universities including Yale and UConn entrepreneurship programs; local startup hubs in Hartford and New Haven
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Hartford Innovation Week (late September to early October), 

Delaware is a small state with outsized economic influence: corporate law, finance, chemical manufacturing and now selective fintech and biotech wins. Its fundamentals show middling startup rates and modest inventor density, but its role as the country’s corporate registry gives it a unique position in the business landscape. Technical.ly’s storytelling score notes underinvestment in independent storytelling despite this structural importance, although efforts such as the Spur Impact Leadership Summit (formerly the Mill Summit) and ongoing startup events point to momentum that could be revived and scaled. Despite being a small state, there are still geographic boundaries: Wilmington (population 70,000) has strong transit links and charming urbanity, but not to important research at the University of Delaware or other equally distant research centers. The opportunity is to reposition Delaware as not just “where companies incorporate,” but a place where companies start, grow and experiment with regulatory innovation.

Primary ecosystem(s): Wilmington

Wilmington is a “finance and regulation” ecosystem: fintech, corporate services, credit and legal infrastructure. It benefits from proximity to Philadelphia, Baltimore and DC — anyone familiar with Amtrak’s beloved, if worn, northeast corridor knows Wilmington has a well-used station. But, with a population of just 70,000 inside a state of fewer than a million people, Wilmington often disappears inside those larger narratives. Limited startup density is concentrated in fintech, regtech and B2B services serving the state’s legal and financial backbone. JP Morgan Chase and CapitalOne both employ thousands of technologists, but they’ve generated fewer spinouts than previous financial corporate offices.  The region needs more visible founder stories and better connections between its major employers, local universities and early-stage support.

• Strengths: Corporate law and regulatory expertise; major financial services hub; easy proximity to Mid-Atlantic metros; emerging fintech and regtech startups; genuine urban charms
• Weaknesses: Limited independent tech and startup ecosystem building; modest startup density; risk of being seen as only a back-office or incorporation jurisdiction
• Organizers to know: Delaware Division of Small Business; Tech Council of Delaware; Zip Code Wilmington; University of Delaware’s Horn Program for Entrepreneurship 
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Spur Impact Leadership Summit (August)
• For more, read Technical.ly’s coverage of Delaware, including our last State of the Delaware Innovation Economy report

Florida is a “migration and markets” state: high in-migration, large consumer markets and rapidly evolving tech hubs anchored by Miami, Orlando and Tampa. The state’s startup rates are strong, its population growth is among the nation’s fastest and its corporate footprint is diversifying beyond tourism and real estate into fintech, health tech, logistics and space. Technical.ly’s storytelling score reflects a noisy but increasingly sophisticated narrative, especially in Miami. The challenge is stitching together disparate metro stories into a statewide strategy that includes rural and Panhandle communities, and ensuring that a boom-time vibe translates into durable founder pipelines and inclusive workforce gains.

Primary ecosystem(s): Miami

Miami has positioned itself as the “gateway to the Americas” for tech and finance: crypto and fintech, health tech, logistics and consumer platforms layered onto an already global brand. The eMerge Americas conference has grown into a major platform for Latin American and US founders, putting Miami firmly on the global tech map. Yet questions remain about how durable the pandemic-era influx of capital and talent will be, especially as interest rates and remote work trends normalize. The opportunity is to solidify Miami as a long-term hub for cross-border fintech, climate resilience and health innovation, not just a speculative playground.

• Strengths: Large and diverse consumer market; global ties to Latin America; strong fintech and crypto presence; growing health and climate tech clusters
• Weaknesses: Housing and climate risk; volatility in speculative sectors (a classic boom-and-bust town); limited affordable lab and industrial space; gaps in inclusive workforce pathways
• Organizers to know: eMerge Americas; Miami Tech Works; local chambers and entrepreneurship hubs across Greater Miami
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: eMerge Americas conference and expo each spring in Miami Beach; Art Basel in the winter increasingly has investor access
• For more, read Technical.ly’s reporting on Miami

Georgia is a “logistics and leverage” state: Atlanta’s airport and corporate cluster, Savannah’s port, a deep film and media industry and a fast-growing tech workforce. Atlanta anchors one of the South’s most important tech hubs, with strengths in fintech, payments, cybersecurity, logistics and media tech. Beyond the capital, advanced manufacturing and logistics corridors stretch across the state, including ties to South Carolina’s automotive and industrial base. Technical.ly’s storytelling score recognizes Atlanta’s strong narrative work, but also notes the familiar rural gap and a need to more fully connect HBCUs and rural entrepreneurship to the state’s tech brand.

Primary ecosystem(s): Atlanta

Atlanta is the “payments and platforms” capital of the Southeast: fintech, cybersecurity, logistics, marketing tech and media. A dense corporate base (from legacy banks to new-age platforms), a strong research network led by Georgia Tech and one of the country’s busiest airports give founders here unusual access to customers, talent and markets. The region’s Black tech and entrepreneurship community is also one of the country’s most visible, though it still battles capital gaps. The opportunity is to make Atlanta the default choice for inclusive fintech and supply-chain innovation, not just a regional hub.

• Strengths: Fintech and payments leadership; strong HBCU and research institutions; global air and logistics connectivity; diverse founder base, especially as a reputation for Black culture 
• Weaknesses: Persistent racial wealth gaps; congestion and housing pressures; limited statewide rural integration in visible startup narratives
• Organizers to know: Atlanta Tech Village; ATDC at Georgia Tech; Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs; state and regional development agencies
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Atlanta Tech Week and related fintech and venture events, which cluster in the fall and bring together founders, investors and corporate leaders from across the South LinkedIn 
• For more, read coverage from Technical.ly affiliate Hype, or our 2016 profile of Atlanta

Hawaii is a “frontier and stewardship” innovation state: ocean technology, defense, climate resilience, logistics and tourism-adjacent tech. Its small population and geographic isolation limit traditional startup density, but give it a unique testbed for blue economy and dual-use technologies. Technical.ly’s storytelling score suggests that while individual research and defense wins make it into trade press, there is limited ongoing ecosystem storytelling tying Honolulu’s startup scene, university research and defense work into a coherent national narrative. With climate adaptation and Indo-Pacific geopolitics rising in importance, Hawaii’s innovation profile is likely to matter more in the next decade than its population alone would suggest.

Primary ecosystem(s): Honolulu

Honolulu is Hawaii’s innovation hub: ocean tech, defense and dual-use applications, logistics and tourism tech. The city’s role as a Pacific command center and travel gateway gives it disproportionate strategic relevance. Honolulu Tech Week and ongoing programming from local development organizations signal a growing community of founders, researchers and investors focused on blue economy, defense and island resilience. The challenge is the same as for residents in general: high cost of living, limited housing and few local later-stage capital options. Like other vacation destinations, founders here have to overcome a reputation that they can’t build something big and lasting.

• Strengths: Strategic defense and ocean tech positioning; unique testbed for climate resilience and island logistics; strong university and federal presence
• Weaknesses: High cost of living; small talent pool; limited local venture capital; heavy reliance on federal and tourism dollars
• Organizers to know: Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC); local accelerators and university-affiliated programs; Honolulu Tech Week organizers
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Honolulu Tech Week (September)

For better and for worse, Idaho became poster-child for post-pandemic relocations, as Silicon Valley expats descended on charming mountain houses. Now, Idaho is a “semiconductors and soil” state: Boise’s tech and services growth, paired with a deep agricultural and food systems economy across the state. Its fundamentals show modest but improving startup activity, driven by in-migration, remote work and a maturing Boise startup scene. Semiconductor and advanced manufacturing supply chains give Idaho leverage it rarely receives credit for. At the same time, many rural regions remain disconnected from visible startup narratives. Technical.ly’s storytelling score places Idaho in the “emerging but undertold” category — promising momentum without a cohesive statewide story yet.

Primary ecosystem(s): Boise

Boise is Idaho’s “in-between” tech hub: big enough to host growing software, fintech and services companies, small enough to retain a close-knit community feel. Longtime residents and remote workers alike have seeded a startup scene that punches above its size. Boise Entrepreneur Week, which evolved from Boise Startup Week, has become the state’s flagship innovation festival, highlighting local founders and connecting them to investors and partners. The next challenge is building more sector depth — in agtech, semiconductors and outdoor products — and ensuring that capital supply keeps pace with demand.

• Strengths: Growing software and services economy; proximity to outdoor amenities; increasing national attention; strong community identity
• Weaknesses: Limited local venture density; reliance on a relatively small number of anchor employers; uneven rural connectivity
• Organizers to know: Trailhead Boise; Boise Entrepreneur Week organizers; Idaho Technology Council; university-linked entrepreneurship programs
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Boise Entrepreneur Week (each fall)

Illinois is a “global city and deep bench” state: Chicago is a world-class metro with serious tech and corporate depth, while downstate regions contribute advanced manufacturing, logistics and agtech. Fundamentally, Illinois has strong research output, mid-to-high startup rates and a dynamic labor market, but is held back by long-running fiscal challenges and uneven perceptions of business climate. Technical.ly’s storytelling score ranks Illinois highly, in part because Chicago has built multiple overlapping storytelling channels, from TechChicago Week to local media and university platforms. The opportunity is to extend that narrative beyond the Loop and North Side, tying in South and West Side founders and downstate industrial innovators.

Primary ecosystem(s): Chicago

Chicago is the Midwest’s anchor tech city: logistics and supply chain, fintech and insurance tech, food and agtech, manufacturing tech and fast-growing climate and quantum clusters. The city’s scale, transit, university network and corporate base give it nearly every ingredient an ecosystem could want, and TechChicago Week has become a central convening point for founders and funders. Chicago’s constraints are well known: racial inequity, neighborhood disinvestment and a historic funding gap for underrepresented founders. If Chicago can close those gaps while leaning into emerging strengths like quantum, digital health and climate tech, it strengthens its claim as the country’s “third innovation coast.”

• Strengths: Deep corporate base; broad sector mix; world-class universities; growing climate and quantum clusters; strong civic organizing around tech
• Weaknesses: Persistent inequity; public safety perceptions; fragmented regional governance; undercapitalized Black and Brown founders
• Organizers to know: P33; World Business Chicago; mHUB; 1871; TechChicago Week organizers; university entrepreneurship centers
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: TechChicago Week (late July)
• For more, read Technical.ly’s profile of Chicago here

Iowa is an “agtech and civic entrepreneurship” state: row-crop agriculture and livestock, food processing, insurance and a growing set of digital and services startups layered on top. Its fundamentals show modest startup density relative to population, but above-average activity in agtech, rural entrepreneurship and small business formation. Iowa’s innovation story has been more function than flash, but initiatives like EntreFEST and regional accelerators are stitching together a more visible narrative. After the loss of a much-loved, statewide startup-ecosystem news site, economic development leaders have formed a confederation of startup writers. Still, Technical.ly’s storytelling score sees Iowa as an emerging collaboration case: university, corporate and civic actors increasingly aligned, but still without dedicated professional storytelling.

Primary ecosystem(s): Des Moines–Cedar Rapids corridor

The Des Moines–Cedar Rapids corridor is Iowa’s “ag, insurance and civic tech” belt: insurance and financial services in Des Moines, manufacturing and creative industries in Cedar Rapids, and agbioscience across the surrounding region. The corridor has a reputation for pragmatic, community-minded founders who build durable, cash-flow positive companies rather than chasing unicorn headlines. EntreFEST, Iowa’s statewide entrepreneurship conference, rotates within the corridor and has become a key annual gathering for founders, investors and ecosystem builders across the state. The opportunity is to better link agtech experimentation, rural innovation and financial services into a single, exportable narrative.

• Strengths: Strong ag and food systems; insurance and financial services clusters; collaborative civic culture; emerging agtech and rural entrepreneurship communities
• Weaknesses: Limited national visibility; nonexistent venture capital presence; brain drain to coastal hubs; fragmented regional identity
• Organizers to know: Greater Des Moines Partnership; NewBoCo; America’s Cultivation Corridor; Gravitate Coworking;

Best time to visit this ecosystem: EntreFEST (June)

Kansas is a classic “in-between” state that punches above its weight in ag-tech, aviation and biomanufacturing but still lacks a cohesive national narrative. Wichita’s aerospace heritage and the biomanufacturing push around the Kansas City region give Kansas credible innovation assets, and the Kansas City BioSecure Manufacturing Tech Hub (KC BioHub) now ties eastern Kansas to western Missouri in a federally backed biomanufacturing corridor. Startup rates are mid-pack and young-firm employment is steady, but the state needs more visible founder stories and investor density to turn its “Silicon Prairie” reputation into a widely recognized reality. Kansas’s opportunity is to better knit suburban KC, Wichita and university towns into one entrepreneurial story, backed by consistent storytelling and cross-state collaboration.

Primary ecosystem(s): Wichita

Wichita is an “aerospace and advanced manufacturing” ecosystem, with deep roots in aviation, defense and industrial engineering. The region’s strongest startups often emerge from suppliers, machine shops and engineering firms that see a vertical-specific opportunity — think maintenance tech, manufacturing software, and logistics tools. Wichita benefits from an experienced technical workforce and a lower cost base than coastal hubs, but it has relatively thin venture capital and limited national awareness outside aviation circles. There’s a clear communications gap. 

• Strengths: Aviation and aerospace legacy; advanced manufacturing know-how; lower operating costs; strong technical talent pipelines
• Weaknesses: Modest early-stage capital; underdeveloped startup support infrastructure; limited media visibility beyond aviation
• Organizers to know: Wichita State University innovation programs; Wichita Regional Chamber and affiliated entrepreneurship initiatives; NetWork Kansas and statewide entrepreneurship support organizations
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Global Entrepreneurship Week – Kansas City in nearby KC (mid-November), which pulls in founders from across the bi-state metro and the broader region.

Kentucky has the ingredients for a distinctive innovation story: global logistics in Louisville, a growing tech and software presence in Lexington and energy-transition and advanced manufacturing potential across Appalachia. Yet its overall startup rate and young-firm employment remain middling. The state has begun to lean into entrepreneurship through regional funds, innovation districts and university-linked commercialization, especially around health, ag-tech and advanced manufacturing. The opportunity is to connect bourbon-and-logistics branding with tech-enabled, founder-led firms that can export products and services far beyond the Ohio Valley, while making sure inclusive entrepreneurship reaches rural and coal-impacted communities.

Primary ecosystem(s): Louisville–Lexington corridor

The Louisville–Lexington corridor is a “logistics, health and horse country” innovation zone: UPS Worldport and logistics tech in Louisville; life sciences, ag-tech and software in Lexington, anchored by the University of Kentucky. Founders here often build in B2B services, healthcare operations, fintech and supply-chain tools that leverage proximity to major shippers and healthcare systems. The ecosystem is strengthening but still under-recognized compared to peers like Nashville or Columbus. 

• Strengths: Global logistics hub; healthcare systems; rising software/startup communities; strong university base
• Weaknesses: Fragmented identity between metros; limited national venture attention; uneven rural inclusion
• Organizers to know: Amplify Louisville; Render Capital; University of Louisville and University of Kentucky entrepreneurship centers; local Startup Week/Global Entrepreneurship Week organizers
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Regional Global Entrepreneurship Week events each November, when Louisville and Lexington host dense calendars of founder meetups, pitch events and ecosystem roundtables.

Louisiana is quietly becoming a national testbed for climate resilience, offshore energy and culturally rooted entrepreneurship. Its innovation fundamentals are modest—startup density and dynamism are mid-range—but a wave of federal investment is reshaping the state’s prospects. The Gulf Louisiana Offshore Energy (GLOE) Tech Hub is transforming offshore oil and gas know-how into clean energy and resilience technology, while the FUEL Louisiana NSF Regional Innovation Engine links Baton Rouge and New Orleans around decarbonization, resiliency and energy transition. Combined with New Orleans’ creative economy and Baton Rouge’s petrochemical and university assets, Louisiana now has multiple platforms to turn climate risk into innovation-led economic growth. It helps to view Louisiana as two distinct bands: the southern corridor lining I-10, from Lafayette and state capital Baton Rouge to New Orleans, and the northern I-20 corridor from Shreveport, closer to the Dallas region, Ruston and Monroe. The I-10 corridor is by far the more economically important one, so  the challenge is ensuring rural parishes and smaller cities share in the state’s upside.

Primary ecosystem(s): New Orleans

One of the country’s most cherished cities, New Orleans is an “energy, climate and culture” ecosystem: climate resilience tech; coastal engineering; tourism and creative tech; and a growing base of software and impact-driven companies. The city benefits from strong place attachment, national mindshare and a steady inflow of founders drawn by its cultural gravity. Federal designations like the GLOE Tech Hub and the FUEL Engine give New Orleans access to capital and national partners, especially around offshore wind, grid resilience and blue-economy innovation. The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s ARIE report highlighted New Orleans as among the country’s most capital efficient regions. But it remains a relatively small startup market with infrastructure and resilience challenges, including declining population.

• Strengths: Strong cultural brand and high tourism rates; energy and coastal engineering expertise; growing climate-tech and blue-economy focus; NSF/EDA-backed innovation platforms
• Weaknesses: Small local capital pool; climate and insurance risks; fragile civic and physical infrastructure
• Organizers to know: Greater New Orleans, Inc.; Nexus Louisiana’s Baton Rouge–New Orleans collaborations; New Orleans BioInnovation Center; Idea Village; GLOE Tech Hub and FUEL Engine consortium partners
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), typically in late March, which brings together founders, investors and ecosystem builders from across the Gulf South.
• For more, read Technical.ly’s recent New Orleans ecosystem profile. 

Maine is evolving from a legacy forest-products and tourism state into a globally relevant bio-based manufacturing and climate-tech hub. The Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub, led by the Maine Technology Institute, aims to make Maine the nationwide leader in forest-based biomaterials, using wood-derived polymers and fibers to replace plastics and toxic chemicals. In January 2025, the hub secured a $22 million federal award to accelerate commercialization and workforce pipelines, signaling how seriously national policymakers view the state’s potential. Maine’s startup fundamentals are modest but rising, with strengths in outdoor recreation, food systems, climate resilience and remote work. Ecosystem-building efforts are starting with Startup Maine. The state’s challenge is filling skilled manufacturing roles and ensuring rural communities share in new bioproduct and climate-tech growth. 

Primary ecosystem(s): Portland–Orono corridor

The Portland–Orono corridor is a “blue economy and bio-based manufacturing” ecosystem: port logistics and software in Portland; forest bioproducts R&D and advanced manufacturing around Orono; plus tourism, food entrepreneurship and remote-work hubs in between. The Roux Institute in Portland and the University of Maine in Orono form a spine of R&D and talent for AI, data and advanced materials, increasingly tied into the Forest Bioproducts Tech Hub.

• Strengths: World-class forest bioproducts research; compelling quality of life; growing remote-work and climate-tech appeal
• Weaknesses: Small population base; shortages of skilled manufacturing and engineering talent; distance from major capital centers
• Organizers to know: Startup Maine; Maine Technology Institute; Roux Institute at Northeastern University; University of Maine commercialization programs; Maine Center for Entrepreneurs; local coworking and startup networks
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Startup Maine Week in Portland (May)

Maryland is one of the country’s most scientifically dense states: federal labs, cybersecurity, life sciences and a robust Baltimore–DC corridor. This is one of the best-educated state populations in the country. The state’s pro-entrepreneurship economic development strategy is well-regarded, led by TEDCO, a state-backed investment firm and organizer. Yet geographical boundaries complicate the picture: for a relatively small state, there are distinct cultures around Baltimore, outside Washington DC and in more rural areas. No matter, Maryland’s innovation fundamentals are strong — high R&D, a sizable startup base in biotech and cyber, and growing state-level focus on inclusive entrepreneurship — but the benefits are unevenly distributed between wealthy suburbs and disinvested urban and rural areas. The state’s opportunity is to convert its federal and research assets into more founder-led companies headquartered in Maryland, not just inside the Beltway. Locals have a complicated relationship with the “DMV” identity, but to be part of a region that grows from DC to both Maryland and Virginia, with enviable transit links to Philadelphia and New York City, should be cheered.

Primary ecosystem(s): Baltimore

Baltimore is a “med-tech, cyber and gritty creativity” ecosystem: world-class Johns Hopkins–anchored life sciences; cyber and defense-adjacent startups; and a creative, maker-driven small business scene. Technical.ly has covered the city for close to two decades, documenting its evolution from underdog to nationally watched example of inclusive innovation. Baltimore’s designation as a federal Tech Hub further validates its biomanufacturing and health-tech strengths.  The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s ARIE report highlighted Baltimore as among the country’s most capital efficient regions. Much of the city’s economic activity happens at the state and broader regional level. For example, in 2025, entrepreneur support organization Upsurge was absorbed by the Greater Baltimore Committee, and Technical.ly widened our coverage to span statewide rather than Baltimore alone. Other barriers remain: city-suburban cultural divide, legacy inequities and a still-complicated narrative beyond crime headlines.

• Strengths: Top-tier medical and research institutions; emerging biomanufacturing cluster; strong grassroots entrepreneurship networks; proximity to DC agencies; dense and transited DMV region; strong statewide identity 
• Weaknesses: Persistent inequality; limited locally headquartered growth-stage firms; perception challenges
• Organizers to know: TEDCO; Greater Baltimore Committee, which absorbed entrepreneur support organization Upsurge; University of Maryland BioPark; Spark Coworking; Johns Hopkins University
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Baltimore Homecoming (September)
  For more, read Technical.ly’s extensive Baltimore coverage, including last year’s State of the Baltimore Innovation Economy

Massachusetts is a global innovation superpower: Boston–Cambridge is one of the world’s top three ecosystems for biotech, AI, robotics and software, with dense venture capital and R&D spending. The state’s challenge is that its success is geographically concentrated. The state’s two-dozen “Gateway Cities” are former manufacturing hubs that require attention because they still resemble other post-industrial mill towns. State and regional leaders are increasingly focusing on spreading tech and innovation beyond Kendall Square through investments in manufacturing, climate-tech and regional innovation corridors. Massachusetts also hosts the Ocean Tech Hub, a federally designated Tech Hub focused on blue-economy technologies shared with Rhode Island. 

Primary ecosystem(s): Boston–Cambridge

Boston–Cambridge is the “labs and algorithms” core: biotech, pharma, AI, robotics and deep tech. MIT, Harvard and a dense network of hospitals and labs make this one of the world’s prime places to commercialize science. In some sense, Silicon Valley’s fast-moving, transient, meritocratic ideals were founded in opposition to Boston’s once dowdy and credentialed striving. In recent decades, New England’s economic engine has reimagined itself as a major importer of high-skilled immigration, and an outperformer relative to its size — though the city’s scientific and pedigreed reputation, alongside expensive cost of living, leave less room for arts and culture. The constraints are well known: cost of living, housing and competition for talent, as its once dominant brain gain of college graduates and immigrants has been competed away.

• Strengths: Unmatched life sciences and deep-tech R&D; dense venture capital; powerful university and hospital anchors
• Weaknesses: Very high costs; congestion; difficulty retaining non-elite founders and creatives
• Organizers to know: MassChallenge; Venture Café; local university accelerators; MassVentures and MassTech initiatives
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Startup Boston Week each September, the largest gathering of the New England startup community.

Michigan is in the midst of a multi-decade transition from auto-dominated legacy manufacturing to a diversified innovation economy in mobility, batteries, software and advanced manufacturing. Detroit and Ann Arbor anchor the state’s startup scene, supported by strong university research and an increasingly coordinated statewide strategy. Venture and startup activity has grown meaningfully over the past decade, and Michigan’s entrepreneurial fundamentals — startup rates, young-firm employment — now place it solidly in the country’s upper middle tier. The work ahead is ensuring that this growth is inclusive and reaches beyond a few major metros.

Primary ecosystem(s): Detroit

Detroit is a “mobility, manufacturing and comeback narrative” ecosystem. Founders here build in EVs, mobility software, industrial tech, fintech and community-rooted ventures. The city’s story — of reinvention, creativity and resilience — has drawn national attention, and initiatives like Detroit Startup Week, TechTown programming and Black Tech Saturdays have helped solidify a community of builders. Detroit’s costs remain lower than coastal hubs, but gaps persist in seed capital and later-stage funding. Famously, Dan Gilbert, a Detroit native and billionaire founder of Rocket Mortgage (formerly Quicken Loans), became a key figure in the city’s downtown revitalization, presenting both a lifeline and a primary point of failure. His investments, and others that have followed, proved unusually persistent, relative to other similar figures around the country. 

• Strengths: Deep manufacturing and mobility expertise; growing startup support infrastructure; powerful narrative of reinvention; the city’s rock-bottom bankruptcy in 2013 sparked a flood of national attention that has persisted, albeit  
• Weaknesses: Capital gaps at early and growth stages; uneven neighborhood-level inclusion; legacy infrastructure challenges
• Organizers to know: TechTown Detroit; Detroit Regional Chamber; Invest Detroit Ventures; Michigan Venture Capital Association; Detroit Startup Week organizers
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Detroit Startup Week (dates vary), a volunteer-led, multi-day celebration of the city’s entrepreneurial community.
• For more, look back at Technical.ly’s Detroit ecosystem profile from 2016.

Minnesota has a well-regarded statewide economic development strategy and is a national leader in med-tech, food and insurance. Minneapolis–St. Paul (the Twin Cities) anchor a diversified innovation economy with strong corporate headquarters, a deep health-tech cluster centered on companies like Medtronic and a growing startup community. State fundamentals — startup rates, young-firm employment, dynamism — are solid, but the narrative often underplays Greater Minnesota’s contributions and the state’s diversity. Minnesota’s opportunity is to lean further into med-tech, climate-tech and food systems while ensuring rural and tribal communities see tangible entrepreneurial support.

Primary ecosystem(s): Twin Cities (Minneapolis–St. Paul)

The Twin Cities ecosystem combines corporate scale (Fortune 500 headquarters), med-tech and fintech know-how with a steadily maturing startup community. GreaterMSP and other regional organizers have worked for more than a decade to position the region as an inclusive innovation hub. Twin Cities Startup Week has emerged as one of the country’s most respected regional festival weeks for founders and innovators. The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s ARIE report highlighted the Twin Cities as among the country’s most capital efficient regions. Its successes have come from a relatively well-governed, bipartisan mix of policymakers and economic development leaders with a folksy, get-it-done reputation. An aging population has been softened by pro-immigration policies that are under threat in today’s political climate.

• Strengths: Med-tech and health innovation; strong corporate-startup collaborations; high quality of life; diversified economy
• Weaknesses: Winter climate perception; capital and media attention still lag coastal hubs; regional racial inequities
• Organizers to know: GreaterMSP; TechMN; Medical Alley; Forge North; local coworking spaces and accelerators
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Twin Cities Startup Week (typically in September)

Mississippi is an emerging, still-fragile innovation story. Entrepreneurial fundamentals remain below national averages: lower startup density, limited capital access and weaker young-firm employment. Educational attainment and investment in other human and social capital are among the lowest in the United States. Yet there are promising signals: Jackson’s civic innovation push, HBCU-centered entrepreneurship initiatives and growing attention to tech-enabled small businesses. The statewide Innovate Mississippi is a pro-entrepreneurship strategy informed by ecosystem-building practices but it is modestly funded. Federal and regional efforts are beginning to weave entrepreneurship into broader anti-poverty and community-wealth strategies, especially in the Delta. The state’s opportunity is to connect HBCUs, rural communities and small cities into a coherent startup support system with real capital and technical assistance — leveraging neighboring Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama, all of which are farther along in its entrepreneurial investments. MIssissippi’s late start could be made into a strength by learning from others to use best practices from other grow-your-own entrepreneurial ecosystem building. 

Primary ecosystem(s): Jackson

Jackson is a “civic, HBCU and service-economy” ecosystem. Jackson State University, local nonprofits and regional organizers like Innovate Mississippi play outsized roles in supporting founders, often focused on services, civic tech, small-scale manufacturing and culturally rooted businesses. Events like HBCU-focused entrepreneurship weeks and regional economic development gatherings (including DELTA FEST’s launch of a 10-year regional initiative) are important signals of emerging ecosystem intent, even if the startup base is still small. 

• Strengths: HBCU talent and networks; strong sense of purpose around community wealth-building; low costs and opportunity to put entrepreneurship at the center of an emerging economic development strategy
• Weaknesses: Very limited capital; infrastructure and governance challenges; brain drain to larger metros and low-levels of skilled professionals and human capital development
• Organizers to know: Innovate Mississippi; Jackson State University entrepreneurship programs; local chambers and small-business support groups
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Regional entrepreneurship and innovation events in Jackson during Global Entrepreneurship Week each November, when local organizers cluster pitch competitions, workshops and civic innovation conversations

Missouri is a two innovation-ecosystems state: the better-resourced Kansas City and the less-robust St. Louis. Both metros have made meaningful progress in building startup communities around strengths in ag-tech, logistics, health and geospatial technologies. The state benefits from the Kansas City BioSecure Manufacturing Tech Hub (shared with the state of Kansas) and the Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy (CM2AE) Tech Hub, operated by a rural science and technology campus of the University of Missouri system. The two coalitions could position Missouri as a leader in biomanufacturing and critical-minerals supply chains. Missouri’s fundamentals — startup rates, inventor density and dynamism — are mid-to-upper tier, and the opportunity is to keep scaling from a handful of standout organizations into a broader, more inclusive statewide innovation narrative.

Primary ecosystem(s): Kansas City

Kansas City is a “playbook and proof” ecosystem — a mid-continent metro whose influence on global entrepreneurship far exceeds its size. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has been the single most important architect of modern ecosystem building here and abroad, funding research, convenings and programs that effectively invented the contemporary “entrepreneurial ecosystem” field. No region in the country has had more resources and expertise directed toward a pro-entrepreneurship strategy. Kansas City’s founders tend to build in logistics, ag-tech, civic and small-business services, fintech and B2B SaaS, supported by a tight web of entrepreneur support organizations and philanthropy. The region’s challenge is turning its role as a global model and testbed into more nationally recognized breakout companies and a stronger, founder-led narrative beyond the foundation’s orbit.

• Strengths: Deep civic and philanthropic infrastructure; Kauffman-led ecosystem playbook; strong small-business and startup support; affordable costs and central location
• Weaknesses: Fewer scaled, nationally known startups than its influence would predict; risk of overreliance on philanthropic and programmatic support; limited local venture density compared to coastal hubs
• Organizers to know: Most everything in Kansas City entrepreneurship originates with Kauffman Foundation funding: the directory tool KCSourceLink; storytelling via Startland News; the event series of 1Million Cups and Global Entrepreneurship Week, among others
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Global Entrepreneurship Week (mid-November)

Montana’s big sky country holds the American imagination. The rural, low-population state has attracted remote workers, outdoor-industry founders and deep-tech research dollars. The Headwaters Tech Hub designation — focused on applied quantum, photonics and related advanced technologies — cements the state’s role in the Mountain West’s next-generation technology map. Missoula, Bozeman and Billings each contribute pieces of a growing startup puzzle, with strengths in photonics, remote-work software, edtech and outdoor gear. Tribal communities, especially in the especially rural eastern part of the state, are far less developed. The challenge is building local capital, founder networks with denser hubs and keeping housing affordable in popular mountain towns.

Primary ecosystem(s): Bozeman–Missoula corridor

The Bozeman–Missoula corridor is a “photonics, outdoor and remote-work” ecosystem. Bozeman leans into tech-enabled outdoor industries and deep-tech research linked to Montana State University, while Missoula contributes software, creative industries and university-based startups. The Headwaters Tech Hub is catalyzing partnerships between labs, manufacturers and startups around quantum and photonics applications, positioning the region as a key node in national security and advanced manufacturing supply chains. 

• Strengths: High quality of life; strong outdoor and remote-work appeal; emerging deep-tech specialization; growing startup culture; well-regarded technical schools
• Weaknesses: Limited venture capital; small local markets; housing and cost pressures in attractive mountain towns
• Organizers to know: Headwaters Tech Hub consortium; Montana High Tech Business Alliance; university entrepreneurship centers in Bozeman and Missoula; local coworking and accelerator programs
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: The Headwaters Tech Hub Summit (September)
• For more, read Technical.ly’s coverage of the most recent Headwaters Tech Hub Summit

Nebraska is a “Silicon Prairie” state that combines a growing tech and services economy with deep agricultural and insurance roots. Omaha and Lincoln drive most startup activity, supported by a strong corporate base in finance, logistics and agribusiness. Fundamentals are mid-tier: reasonable startup rates, modest inventor density and steady young-firm employment, with plenty of headroom. Nebraska’s distinguishing strength is its civic-minded culture and long-running ecosystem storytellers like Silicon Prairie News, which is stewarded by well-regarded Nebraska Journalism Trust and has given the region a storytelling strategy even as individual metrics are modest. The next step is turning consistent community-building into more breakout companies and a clearer statewide identity tied to ag-tech, logistics and B2B software.

Primary ecosystem(s): Omaha–Lincoln

Omaha–Lincoln is a “finance, ag-tech and back-office innovation” corridor. Omaha’s large financial services and logistics employers sit alongside a maturing startup scene in SaaS, fintech, insurtech and marketing tech, while Lincoln contributes university-driven entrepreneurship and talent from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Founders here tend to build practical B2B products that reach national customers early, but local capital is thin and many later-stage companies move or raise money elsewhere.

• Strengths: Corporate base in finance and logistics; stable economy; strong civic and startup storytelling traditions; relatively low costs
• Weaknesses: Limited local venture density; modest national visibility; dependence on a handful of large employers
• Organizers to know: Silicon Prairie News; NMotion; Nebraska Angels; university entrepreneurship centers in Omaha and Lincoln; local chambers and ESOs
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Silicon Prairie Startup Week (October)
• For more, read Technical.ly’s collaborative Nebraska coverage with our affiliate, the Silicon Prairie News

Nevada is a “tourism, logistics and energy” innovation state, with Las Vegas and Reno as twin anchors. Its fundamentals are improving: population growth, logistics expansion, data centers and a budding tech scene layered on top of hospitality and gaming. The Nevada Tech Hub designation underscores the state’s potential in advanced energy and manufacturing, while northern Nevada’s role in lithium, batteries and logistics ties it to the clean energy transition. The challenge is that Nevada’s narrative is still dominated by gaming and entertainment, obscuring its tech and industrial strengths.

Primary ecosystem(s): Las Vegas

Las Vegas was an early-mover in pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem building in the 2000s and 2010s, but results remained modest. The city’s tourism, gambling and entertainment strategies have remained far more lucrative: Far more investors and entrepreneurs have walked the famous Las Vegas Strip and sprawling convention center than the city’s humbler downtown, despite place-making investments. Founders who live here build in hospitality tech, sports and events, logistics, esports and fintech, often leveraging the city’s unique visitor economy and convention infrastructure. The region’s growth as a sports and entertainment capital (NFL, NHL, Formula 1) adds opportunities in fan engagement tech and sports analytics, but local early-stage support is still catching up.

• Strengths: Global visitor base; large events and convention infrastructure; emerging sports-tech and entertainment-tech niches; proximity to California
• Weaknesses: Limited deep-tech and R&D presence; modest local venture ecosystem; perception that tech is secondary to casinos and tourism
• Organizers to know: StartUp Vegas; Vegas Chamber entrepreneurship efforts; UNLV entrepreneurship programs; Tech Alley Las Vegas
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Las Vegas Startup Week (September)

New Hampshire is a “small-scale, high-quality manufacturing and makers” state that lives in the shadow of Boston but has its own distinct innovation profile. Advanced manufacturing, med-tech supply chains, defense and outdoor products feature heavily, alongside a modest but persistent startup community. The ReGen Valley Tech Hub designation puts Manchester and the surrounding region on the map for regenerative medicine and biotech manufacturing, signaling growing national interest in New Hampshire’s specialized capabilities. The state’s opportunity is to own a “New Hampshire–branded” narrative instead of being treated as a lowly Boston suburb, but this requires a communications strategy beyond its small size.

Primary ecosystem(s): Manchester–Nashua

The Manchester–Nashua corridor combines advanced manufacturing, med-tech, software and maker culture. Manchester’s mill buildings, university presence and the ReGen Valley Tech Hub give it a focal point for regenerative medicine and biotech startups, while Nashua’s proximity to Boston and legacy in defense and electronics add depth. Founders often build in B2B software, med-tech components and industrial tech that ties into New England supply chains.

• Strengths: Advanced manufacturing and med-tech supply chains; quality of life; proximity to Boston without Massachusetts’ tax structure
• Weaknesses: Limited brand as a standalone startup hub; thin local venture capital; dependence on external metros for some talent and capital
• Organizers to know: ReGen Valley Tech Hub consortium; New Hampshire Tech Alliance; local incubators and coworking spaces in Manchester and Nashua; university-linked entrepreneurship programs
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: During New Hampshire Tech Alliance’s annual innovation and startup events in the fall, when founders, manufacturers and investors convene in Manchester.

New Jersey is a “life sciences, logistics and commuter” state that sits between two global hubs (the New York City and Philadelphia metros) but has serious innovation assets of its own. It combines pharma and biotech in the Route 1 corridor, fintech and ports around Newark and Jersey City, and logistics along the Turnpike and Delaware River. Fundamentals are mixed: strong research and corporate presence, solid startup activity, but gaps in visible founder pipelines and independent storytelling. New Jersey’s participation in the PROPEL Tech Hub led by a Philadelphia coalition positions it for cross-state innovation in life sciences and advanced manufacturing. New Jersey has one of the country’s best educated and most diverse populations, and its multiple centers of orbit could be a strength but is more often an obstacle; Talent and entrepreneurs are spread north Jersey’s credible urbanism in Newark and Jersey City, central Jersey’s elite research and talent in Princeton and Rutgers University and the much-loved Jersey Shore. The opportunity is to move from “between New York and Philly” to a distinct Jersey identity for founders leveraging its life sciences, ports and logistics advantages. 

Primary ecosystem(s): Newark

Newark is New Jersey’s best shot at a primary urban innovation center — a “ports, fintech and corridor” ecosystem that sits at the hinge between New York, Princeton and Rutgers University-linked New Brunswick. Fintech, logistics tech, AI-enabled back-office services and civic-tech startups all cluster around downtown and the Ironbound, drawing on corporate back offices, port operations and public-sector procurement. Newark Liberty International Airport and Amtrak/NJ Transit put founders one stop from Manhattan and within a straight shot of Philadelphia and Washington DC, while Princeton’s elite research and Rutgers’ huge talent base sit just down the line. The bet here is that Newark can be the urban heart of a statewide corridor that runs from the port to the labs, rather than just a feeder to New York.

• Strengths: Ports and global logistics; direct transit to NYC and the Northeast Corridor; proximity to Rutgers and Princeton; diverse, young talent base; improving downtown urbanism and real estate reuse
• Weaknesses: Perception challenges; uneven startup support and capital access; fragmented regional identity; competition with New York for both talent and narrative; a well-regarded statewide tech news site shuttered a year ago, leaving a storytelling gap that was once addressing a lack of statewide identity
• Organizers to know: NJEDA; Newark Venture Partners; NJ Tech Council (TechUnited:NJ); Rutgers and NJIT entrepreneurship centers; local civic-tech and community development organizations; PROPEL Tech Hub partners
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Newark Tech Week (October)

New Mexico is a “labs, space and energy” innovation state: Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, space and aerospace activity around Spaceport America, and a growing tech scene in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Innovation inputs are high — world-class research, significant federal R&D — but commercialization has historically lagged. The Elevate Quantum Tech Hub, shared with Colorado, offers one path to better connect New Mexico’s photonics and quantum research to startups. The state remains one of the country’s poorest, and its economic development strategies and pro-entrepreneurship credentials lag far behind neighboring Arizona. The state’s opportunity is to translate deep research strengths and unique geography into more founder-led companies in defense, energy and climate resilience.

Primary ecosystem(s): Albuquerque–Santa Fe

The Albuquerque–Santa Fe corridor is a “deep-tech and culture” ecosystem. Albuquerque is the main tech and commercial hub, with software, aerospace, defense and emerging climate-tech startups, while Santa Fe adds creative industries, design and science-adjacent work. Proximity to Sandia and Los Alamos gives founders unusual access to world-class scientists and technologists, but tech transfer processes and risk-averse cultures can slow startup formation.

• Strengths: Federal labs; aerospace and space; photonics and quantum; distinctive cultural brand and quality of life
• Weaknesses: Limited local venture capital; slow tech transfer; modest startup density relative to research potential
• Organizers to know: New Mexico Angels; New Mexico Tech Council; ABQid; local innovation districts in Albuquerque; Elevate Quantum partners; university commercialization offices
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: New Mexico Tech Summit (September) 

New York is the country’s most diversified innovation economy: finance, media, fashion, health care, logistics, AI, robotics and more. New York City alone is now a serious challenger to the Bay Area’s dominance in AI and venture activity, and upstate regions like Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse are gaining exposure through Tech Hub and battery/manufacturing investments. Technical.ly’s storytelling score places New York near the very top nationally: a dense web of media, advocacy and founder voices. The challenge is spreading opportunity beyond a few hot neighborhoods and making sure Tech Hub and industrial policy wins translate into shared prosperity. Exactly because New York City so dominates the discourse, other parts of the state need to invest in storytelling – as a new initiative in Buffalo aims to demonstrate.

Primary ecosystem(s): New York City

New York City is a “markets and multiplicity” ecosystem: fintech, AI, media and entertainment tech, health tech, e-commerce, climate and built-world tech. The city’s unique strength is that no single sector dominates; tech plugs into every corner of a $1 trillion–plus economy. New York Tech Week, re-founded by VC firm Andreessen Horowitz in 2022 and now a decentralized festival with more than 1,000 events and 60,000 RSVPs, has become a signature moment in the calendar and a visible signal of New York’s new tech era. Many economic and policy wonks are awaiting the role of a democratic-socialist mayor will have on a finance and tech hub, but many have wrongly bet on the decline of New York.

• Strengths: Sector diversity; deep talent pools across finance, media and fashion; rising AI and robotics cluster; financial hub; the heart of the country’s densest population and economic region
• Weaknesses: High cost of living; regulatory complexity; infrastructure strain; risk of over-concentration in a few boroughs and price points
• Organizers to know: Tech:NYC; NYCEDC; company- and fund-led communities; university entrepreneurship programs; New Energy New York and NY SMART I-Corridor partners upstate
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: New York Tech Week (early June)

North Carolina is a “research and growth corridor” state: the Research Triangle, Charlotte’s financial hub, and emerging entrepreneurial nodes in Wilmington, Greensboro and Asheville. It pairs top-tier universities (Duke, UNC, NC State) and pharma/biotech clusters with a diversified manufacturing and logistics base. Fundamentals are strong: solid startup rates, high young-firm employment and a dynamic labor market. Population growth is strong, and the state benefits from a range of climates: mountains, rural counties, urban centers and beach towns, which serve as different home bases for remote work and startup activity. The missing piece is a cohesive statewide storyteller that connects rural counties and smaller cities to the Triangle and Charlotte.

Primary ecosystem(s): Research Triangle–Charlotte corridor

The Research Triangle–Charlotte corridor covers “labs to ledgers”: biotech, pharma, AI and software around Raleigh–Durham–Chapel Hill, plus fintech, insurtech and corporate innovation in Charlotte. Founders here span clinical decision support, B2B SaaS, dev tools and financial products, often plugged into corporate pilots or university partnerships. Costs are rising but remain lower than coastal peers, making the region attractive for relocation and expansion.

• Strengths: Three major research universities; med-tech and pharma clusters; fintech and banking; strong in-migration of talent
• Weaknesses: No single statewide startup brand; capital still more limited than coastal hubs; rural and small-city ecosystems under-connected
• Organizers to know: Research Triangle Park; CED (Council for Entrepreneurial Development); First Flight Venture Center; HQ Raleigh/Loading Dock; Charlotte’s Innovate Charlotte and fintech/insurtech consortia
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Raleigh–Durham’s Innovate Carolina and Triangle Startup Week–style programming in the spring, plus Charlotte’s fintech and startup summits in the fall.

North Dakota is an “energy and ag-tech” state: oil and gas in the Bakken, large-scale agriculture, and a small but serious cluster of startups in precision agriculture, drones and energy tech. Its fundamentals are modest — small population, limited density — but federal and state investments in UAS (unmanned aerial systems), energy research and rural connectivity give it more innovation leverage than its size suggests. Its AgTech NSF Engine, funded by the National Science Foundation, is led by well-connected leaders in tribal communities. The opportunity is to become a national proving ground for precision ag, carbon management and rural connectivity tools.

Primary ecosystem(s): Fargo–Grand Forks corridor

The Fargo–Grand Forks corridor is a “precision ag and UAS” ecosystem. Grand Forks has built one of the country’s most significant UAS test sites and related research capacity, while Fargo hosts software, ag-tech and services startups with strong Midwestern ties. Founders here are often deeply embedded in agriculture or logistics, building tools for yield optimization, remote sensing, or rural connectivity.

• Strengths: Strong ag and energy base; federal and state focus on UAS and precision ag; low costs; collaborative culture
• Weaknesses: Very small markets; limited local venture capital; harsh winters and talent attraction challenges
• Organizers to know: AgTech NSF Engine; Grand Forks’ UAS test site operators; Emerging Prairie in Fargo; North Dakota Department of Commerce innovation initiatives; local university entrepreneurship programs
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: During Fargo’s entrepreneurial festivals and Ag-tech events each summer, including StartupBREW Fargo series and regional ag innovation conferences.

Ohio is an “industrial policy and talent” state: Intel’s megaproject near Columbus, the Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub in Akron, and a set of midsize cities reinventing themselves around software, logistics and health innovation. JobsOhio, the state’s quasi-public development agency, has become one of the country’s most active dealmakers, attracting major investments in chips, EVs and advanced manufacturing. Organizing in Cincinnati, and to a lesser-extent Cleveland, means the state has multiple entry points. Fundamentals are strong and improving: good startup rates, a diversified economy and rising momentum in Columbus in particular. The risk is that state-led branding outpaces founder-led narrative and independent storytelling.

Primary ecosystem(s): Columbus

Columbus is Ohio’s “growth engine” ecosystem: insurtech, logistics, retail tech, fintech and increasingly semiconductor-adjacent companies. The Intel project and related supply chain bets have put central Ohio at the center of the US chip conversation, while a young, educated population and Ohio State University keep the talent pipeline full. Columbus Startup Week and related summits have helped solidify community identity.  The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s ARIE report highlighted the Twin Cities as among the country’s most capital efficient regions.

• Strengths: Central location; major chip and manufacturing investments; strong university presence; rising startup density
• Weaknesses: Heavy reliance on state-led marketing; still maturing early-stage capital ecosystem; perception gap versus coastal peers
• Organizers to know: JobsOhio; Rev1 Ventures; OhioX; Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub partners in Akron; Columbus Startup Week organizers
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Black Tech Week in nearby Cincinnati (July)

Oklahoma is an “energy transition and tribal entrepreneurship” state: oil and gas legacy, wind power, aerospace and a growing startup community anchored by Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Fundamentals are middling — modest startup rates and dynamism — but new investments and narratives are emerging. The Tulsa Tech Hub and Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub link Oklahoma to federal investments in energy transition, manufacturing and semiconductor supply chains, particularly in northeast Oklahoma and north Texas. The opportunity is to reposition Oklahoma from fossil-only to “next-generation energy and logistics.”

Primary ecosystem(s): Tulsa

Tulsa is a “diversification and inclusion” ecosystem: energy tech, logistics, fintech, creative industries and a deliberate focus on racial equity and indigenous entrepreneurship. Programs like Tulsa Remote, local venture studios and tribal partnerships have put the city on national maps as an experiment in place-based talent attraction. Tech Hub–linked efforts around semiconductors and advanced manufacturing add another layer.

• Strengths: Strong energy and logistics base; emerging national profile; deliberate inclusion strategies; low cost of living; growing ecosystem investments 
• Weaknesses: Limited local capital relative to ambition; infrastructure and education gaps; dependence on a still-volatile energy sector
• Organizers to know: Tulsa Innovation Labs; Tulsa Remote; Tulsa Tech Hub consortium; local tribal economic development organizations; 36 Degrees North
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Tulsa Tech Week (September)

Oregon is a “chips, timber and climate” state. Intel’s long-standing presence near Portland, the Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub and the Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub collectively position Oregon as a leader in advanced manufacturing, materials and sustainable construction. At the same time, Portland’s software and creative culture, plus outdoor and climate tech across the state, contribute to a diversified innovation mix. The challenge is that Portland’s civic struggles and cost pressures have complicated its narrative, even as underlying industrial strengths remain.

Primary ecosystem(s): Portland–Corvallis corridor

The Portland–Corvallis corridor blends “software, chips and mass timber.” Portland hosts SaaS, creative tech and climate-tech startups, while nearby Hillsboro and Beaverton house major semiconductor and electronics operations. Corvallis adds R&D in microfluidics and materials through Oregon State University, tying into both mass timber and chip-adjacent work. The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s ARIE report highlighted Portland as among the country’s most capital efficient regions. The Silicon Florist contributes ongoing news and information gathering for locals. 

• Strengths: Semiconductor and electronics clusters; mass timber and sustainable building innovation; strong creative and software communities; The Silicon Florist news gathering
• Weaknesses: Civic and perception challenges in Portland; limited early-stage capital relative to the Bay Area; under-told rural and coastal innovations
• Organizers to know: Oregon Entrepreneurs Network; Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE); Oregon RAIN; Pacific Northwest Mass Timber and Corvallis Microfluidics Tech Hub consortia
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Portland Startup Week (May)

Pennsylvania is a big “two-engine” innovation state: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The state’s economy is mid-tier on many metrics, but its two metros are national-caliber ecosystems in their own right, backed by major universities and research hospitals. Recent state leadership has begun to articulate a more cohesive statewide economic strategy, while the PROPEL Tech Hub designation ties parts of Pennsylvania to neighboring New Jersey and New York into a cross-state life sciences and advanced manufacturing corridor. This big state of 10 million residents has long struggled to thread together Philadelphia’s urban coastal economic engine, with Pittsburgh’s mid-sized midwestern robotics reputation and several other contributors including the expansive Pennsylvania State University system. The state’s well-regarded Ben Franklin Technology Partners system is considered the first state-backed investment firm that drives pro-entrepreneur economic development policy, but it remains modestly funded. The opportunity is to better connect and develop a cohesive statewide identity with storytelling to match on-the-ground strengths and lastingly center entrepreneurship.

Primary ecosystem(s): Philadelphia

Philadelphia is a “cell and gene, healthcare and civic tech” ecosystem layered on top of an old industrial city in the midst of reinvention. Cell and gene therapy, biotech, med-tech and health services lead the innovation economy, supported by strong software, cybersecurity, civic tech and creative scenes. This city is big and old enough that it has bits of many industries, which presents opportunities but also means locals are quick to gripe about not dominating in much. In the 2010s, the region’s innovation nexus was successfully transitioned from the western suburbs to the dense and urban Center City corridor, including the University City innovation district, which features Ivy League University of Pennsylvania and tech-credentialed Drexel University. The Navy Yard is a mini smart-city, and many large-scale life sciences real estate developments are underway.  Philly Tech Week, launched by Technical.ly, became an early model for citywide innovation festivals that blend civic, startup and creative communities. The local ecosystem spawned a half-dozen tech unicorns. The city’s challenge is converting research strength and a distinctive culture into more locally headquartered growth-stage companies, while keeping housing and opportunity accessible. In the 2010s, Philadelphia successfully attracted and retained professionals and college graduates: It’s a great place to live but not necessarily the best place to grow a business. 

• Strengths: Life sciences leadership; world-class universities and hospitals; strong civic community around tech and startups; central location on the Northeast Corridor, with ready transit access to DC and New York, among a dense collection of customers and talent 
• Weaknesses: Slower job and population growth than some peers; persistent inequity; limited later-stage capital headquartered in-region; Limited leadership focus on entrepreneurship and no clear economic development priority on ecosystem building
• Organizers to know: University City Science Center; Ben Franklin Technology Partners; 1Philadelphia
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Philly Tech Week (first week in May), a multi-day festival of events across the city.
• For more, read Technical.ly’s extensive Philadelphia coverage.

Primary ecosystem(s): Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is a “robotics, AI and advanced manufacturing” ecosystem: Carnegie Mellon–led robotics and AI, university-linked life sciences, and a growing set of software and industrial tech companies. The city sits at the heart of multiple federal efforts, including the New Economy Collaborative positioning it as one of the most important mid-sized ecosystems in the United States. Robotics Discovery Day and a dense network of robotics and autonomy firms give Pittsburgh global credibility in physical AI. Its high-caliber universities have attracted high-skilled immigrants and other talent, to combat declining population. A spate of prominent startups in robotics, AI and autonomous systems give Pittsburgh outsized clout, including Duolingo, Aurora, Astrobiotic and Gecko Robotics. The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s ARIE report highlighted Pittsburgh as among the country’s most capital efficient regions. The central question is whether Pittsburgh can translate its research and pilot projects into a broader base of locally scaled, multi-thousand-employee companies while maintaining its working class identity.

• Strengths: World-leading robotics and AI research; advanced manufacturing heritage; comparatively affordable urban environment; cross-sector university-industry collaborations
• Weaknesses: Slow population growth; limited venture capital relative to research intensity; risk of overreliance on a small number of anchor institutions
• Organizers to know: InnovatePGH; Pittsburgh Robotics Network; Allegheny Conference on Community Development; local accelerators and university commercialization programs; Pittsburgh Tech Council
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day in the fall, when dozens of robotics and autonomy companies demo publicly and convene investors, policymakers and media.
• For more, read Technical.ly’s extensive coverage of Pittsburgh

Rhode Island is a “small state, big water” innovation story. Its compact geography and maritime heritage position it well for blue economy, offshore wind, defense and design-driven entrepreneurship. The Ocean Tech Hub, shared with Massachusetts, highlights its potential in ocean sensing, offshore wind and maritime technologies. Yet Technical.ly’s storytelling score suggests the state has underinvested in sharing its wins beyond Providence, even as new funds and clusters emerge. Other indicators suggest the state has lagged behind in entrepreneurship and economic dynamism, but the value of a small state is large gains can come quickly.

Primary ecosystem(s): Providence

Providence is a “design, ocean and advanced manufacturing” ecosystem: design and arts-driven entrepreneurship from RISD, software and creative tech, and manufacturing and blue-economy work along the waterfront. The city’s scale makes it possible for founders, policymakers and universities to interact frequently, but capital and visibility remain limited.

• Strengths: Strong design and creative institutions; growing ocean tech potential; proximity to Boston and New York; compact, navigable ecosystem
• Weaknesses: Limited venture capital; small local market; tendency to be overshadowed by larger neighbors
• Organizers to know: RI Commerce; local blue-economy consortia tied to the Ocean Tech Hub; DesignxRI; university entrepreneurship programs at Brown and RISD
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Rhode Island Startup Week (fall)

South Carolina is an “advanced manufacturing and port” state: autos and aerospace in the Upstate and Lowcountry, logistics through the Port of Charleston and energy transition efforts across the state. Its fundamentals reflect a strong, growing industrial base with uneven startup and innovation pipelines. The SC Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy Tech Hub highlights the state’s potential in grid resilience, storage and energy systems, complementing manufacturing strengths. The opportunity is to convert corporate-led growth into founder-led companies that stay rooted in South Carolina.

Primary ecosystem(s): Charleston

Charleston is a “port, aerospace and tourism” ecosystem. Boeing, Volvo, the Port of Charleston and a growing number of software and logistics startups give the region a diversified economic base. Founders build in logistics tech, tourism and hospitality tech, manufacturing software and security, often tied to port and defense activity.

• Strengths: Global port; growing aerospace and automotive supply chains; quality of life and tourism draw; emerging software scene
• Weaknesses: Limited venture capital; rising housing costs; risk that startup activity remains a secondary benefit to corporate expansion rather than an engine
• Organizers to know: Charleston Digital Corridor; Charleston Regional Development Alliance; SC Nexus consortium partners; local coworking and accelerators
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Charleston’s annual DIG SOUTH Tech Summit (June)

South Dakota is an “underground science and rural entrepreneurship” state. It has a small population and low density, but the Black Hills Deep Underground Frontier initiative and Sanford Underground Research Facility have given it global scientific visibility in physics and underground research. At the same time, Sioux Falls and Rapid City host emerging ecosystems in financial services, health care and engineering services. Fundamentals are modest; the opportunity is to tie deep science and regional financial strength to more founder-led companies.

Primary ecosystem(s): Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls is a “finance and services” ecosystem with growing tech and health-care components. The city has attracted regional banks, financial services companies and health systems, creating a base for fintech, health-tech and services startups. Costs remain low, and quality of life is a draw for some founders and remote workers. Startup Sioux Falls has made progress is serving multiple well-known entrepreneurial ecosystem needs: community, coworking and communications. Much more is necessary to 

• Strengths: Financial and health-care anchors; low costs; manageable scale; supportive civic culture
• Weaknesses: Very limited local venture capital; small market for customers and entrepreneurship community; talent retention challenges
• Organizers to know: Startup Sioux Falls; local chambers; South Dakota Biotech; Black Hills innovation consortia

Best time to visit this ecosystem: Sioux Falls Startup Week and regional Global Entrepreneurship Week events in November, which highlight founders from across the state.

Tennessee is a “music, health and logistics” innovation state: Nashville’s health tech and music industries, Memphis’ logistics, AI infrastructure and medical device clusters and Chattanooga’s gig-city freight-tech scene. Technical.ly’s data put Tennessee roughly in the middle of states on core startup rate and share of workers at firms under five years old — solid momentum but not yet top-tier — with inventors per 1,000 residents and R&D intensity similarly mid-range outside of a few anchors. Its Economic Dynamism score is respectable but uneven across metros. The upside is that Launch Tennessee has built one of the more coordinated statewide ESO networks, and the state is now consciously trying to move from corporate-heavy growth to founder-led opportunity, especially in health services, logistics and creative-tech. Population growth is a plus.

Primary ecosystem(s): Nashville

Nashville is a “health, music and migration” ecosystem. Health systems and payers, record labels, tourism and a fast-growing population combine to create opportunities in health tech, creator economy tools and B2B services. The city has attracted significant venture interest and national attention, but faces housing and infrastructure strain.

• Strengths: Health-care cluster; creative and music industries; strong migration trends; growing venture presence
• Weaknesses: Rising costs; congestion; risk of overreliance on a few sectors; uneven regional inclusion within Tennessee
• Organizers to know: Launch Tennessee; Nashville Entrepreneur Center; local health-tech and music-tech accelerators; Greater Nashville tech councils
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: 3686 Festival (September)

Texas is a “multi-core, scale and swagger” innovation state. Austin, Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth and San Antonio each anchor distinct ecosystems, but together they give Texas one of the country’s highest core startup rates and a strong share of workers at firms under five years old in your dataset. Inventors per 1,000 residents and R&D spending are not as concentrated as in California or Massachusetts, but the absolute volume of patents and lab work is enormous when you combine energy, space, health and enterprise tech. Technical.ly’s dynamism indicators place Texas firmly in the top tier: strong population growth, job churn and new-firm formation. The risk is that infrastructure, housing and inclusive workforce systems lag the scale of capital and corporate expansion.

Primary ecosystem(s): Austin

Austin is a “software and culture” ecosystem: SaaS, dev tools, consumer apps and creative-tech layered on top of a university town turned boomtown. The city is home to a dense network of startups, major tech company offices and VCs, plus high-profile festivals like SXSW that pull global attention. Costs have risen sharply, but Austin remains a magnet for founders who want a blend of big-tech gravity and indie energy. One big win has been declining housing costs, as housing supply finally caught up with demand in recent years. It is one of the most cited ecosystems for others to emulate, as it is perceived as more replicable than Silicon Valley, Boston or New York.

• Strengths: Strong software and venture density; University of Texas; national brand; festivals and conferences that attract global talent
• Weaknesses: Rising costs and congestion; housing pressures; risk of monoculture if creative communities are priced out; no elite university churning out research and technical talent
• Organizers to know: Capital Factory; Austin Technology Council; city and state innovation programs; Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub partners to the north
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: South by Southwest (SXSW) each March, when tech, media, film and music collide in a dense swirl of events.

Primary ecosystem(s): Houston

Houston is an “energy, health and space” ecosystem: world-leading medical complexes, NASA’s Johnson Space Center and an enormous energy industry in transition. The city is working to recast itself as an energy transition and climate-tech hub, while health tech and life sciences leverage the Texas Medical Center. H-Town Roundup (formerly Houston Tech Rodeo) has grown into a major innovation week highlighting founders across energy, space and software. Still, economic development strategies here have long overlooked entrepreneurship and commercialized innovation, relying on its oil and gas legacy and sheer economic heft: it underperforms relative to its size.

• Strengths: Global energy capital; major medical complex; port and logistics strengths; deep engineering talent
• Weaknesses: Climate and flood risk; sprawl; relatively young early-stage ecosystem compared to its economic scale
• Organizers to know: Houston Exponential; Greentown Labs Houston; Texas Medical Center Innovation; Ion Houston; H-Town Roundup organizers
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: H-Town Roundup (Houston’s rebranded Tech Rodeo) in late winter or early spring, a week of innovation events across the city

Utah is a “Silicon Slopes” state: high-growth SaaS, consumer tech, fintech and enterprise software in a tight corridor between Salt Lake City, Lehi and Provo. Population growth, a young, educated workforce and a strong culture of entrepreneurship and sales have made Utah one of the country’s standout mid-sized innovation economies. Utah Tech Week and the Silicon Slopes Summit provide both community touchpoints and national visibility for the state’s tech scene. Data show Utah with one of the strongest core startup rates in the country and a high share of workers at firms younger than five years, reflecting how deeply entrepreneurship is baked into the state’s labor market. Inventors per 1,000 residents are solid—helped by hardware and consumer-product companies—but not as extreme as the largest deep-tech hubs, and R&D spending is meaningful but concentrated at a few institutions. Utah’s Economic Dynamism score is high: fast population growth, strong job creation and business churn. The big question is whether its SaaS-heavy success can be diversified into more climate, hardware and deep-tech plays while keeping housing and opportunity accessible.

Primary ecosystem(s): Salt Lake City–Provo (Silicon Slopes)

The Salt Lake City–Provo corridor is a “high-growth SaaS and consumer-tech” ecosystem. Founders build CRM tools, marketing tech, dev tools, fintech and consumer platforms, often with a strong sales and go-to-market culture. Large public companies and unicorns have seeded a significant base of repeat founders and angel investors.

• Strengths: High startup and scale-up density; young, educated workforce; strong sales and growth culture; relatively low costs (though rising) and strong outdoors culture
• Weaknesses: Increasing housing pressures; sector concentration in SaaS; limited diversity relative to coastal peers; limited cultural and historical amenities
• Organizers to know: Silicon Slopes; state-founded Startup Utah initiatives; local coworking and accelerators; Utah Tech Week partners
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Utah Tech Week (late January) and Silicon Slopes Summit

Vermont is a “climate, food and advanced materials” state. Its small population and rural character mask real strengths in climate resilience, sustainable food systems, advanced manufacturing and semiconductors. Data suggest a core startup rate and young-firm employment share that are modest in absolute numbers but competitive on a per-capita basis, given the state’s small population. Inventors per 1,000 residents run slightly above what its size might suggest, aided by its higher education system. The Vermont Gallium Nitride Tech Hub designation underscores the state’s role in next-generation semiconductor materials, tying university research and local manufacturers into global supply chains. At the same time, Burlington and other towns host a growing number of food, outdoor and climate-tech startups. The challenge is scale: building startup density without overwhelming local communities or losing affordability.

Primary ecosystem(s): Burlington

Burlington is a “small-city, climate and advanced materials” ecosystem. Founders here build climate tools, outdoor products, food brands and increasingly hardware and semiconductor-adjacent companies connected to the Gallium Nitride Tech Hub. The city’s quality of life and values attract mission-driven founders, but capital is thin and many companies immediately sell to or raise from out-of-state investors.

• Strengths: Strong values alignment around climate and community; advanced materials and semiconductor specialization; outdoor and food brand potential 
• Weaknesses: Very small markets; limited local capital; long distances to major hubs
• Organizers to know: Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET); Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development; Vermont Gallium Nitride Tech Hub consortium; local coworking and innovation spaces
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Vermont Tech Jam (October)

Virginia is a “defense, data centers and pharma” state, with multiple distinct but not yet coordinated ecosystems. Technical.ly’s dataset shows Virginia with above-average inventors per 1,000 residents and very strong R&D expenditures driven by federal labs, Northern Virginia tech and the Richmond pharma corridor. Its core startup rate and share of workers at firms under five are healthy but not as explosive as the highest-growth Sunbelt states, reflecting a mix of stable federal/contractor employment and newer startup activity. The state’s Economic Dynamism score is solid, boosted by Northern Virginia’s churn but tempered by slower-moving rural regions. The true economic engine is Northern Virginia’s cloud and data center clusters, aided by Arlington’s securing of Amazon HQ2 among other influential tech and startup offices— and supported by active ecosystem building strategies. Not far, Richmond’s advanced pharma manufacturing is a close second in Virginia. The Hampton Roads’ maritime and defense strengths and organizing in Roanoke contribute. The Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Tech Hub centered in the Richmond–Petersburg region aims to make Virginia a national leader in domestic drug manufacturing, and it is considered one of the country’s brightest lights from recent years of federal industrial development. Back in Northern Virginia, the data center growth in Loudoun and Prince William counties has made “Data Center Alley” a critical node in the internet’s physical infrastructure. The challenge is that Virginia’s identity is often subsumed by “DC” in national narratives. Virginia needs its own communications strategy, which the commonwealth’s economic development infrastructure between GO Virginia, VIPC and VEDP should be able to provide.

Primary ecosystem(s): Northern Virginia–Arlington corridor

The Northern Virginia–Arlington corridor spans “cloud to chemistry.” Northern Virginia hosts AWS, Microsoft and a dense network of data centers and contractors, plus cybersecurity and gov-tech startups.  This corridor is one of the country’s most important for both digital and physical infrastructure, but its startup narrative is still emerging.

• Strengths: Federal and defense proximity; cloud and data center leadership; growing advanced pharma manufacturing; strong universities 
• Weaknesses: High costs in Northern Virginia; uneven regional inclusion; perception that innovation is primarily federal contractor–driven
• Organizers to know: Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation; regional EDOs in NOVA, including the Arlington Economic Development 
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Northern Virginia tech and gov-tech summits in the spring
• For more, read Technical.ly’s coverage of the DC region, including Virginia

Washington is a “cloud and clusters” state whose numbers show a mature, innovation-heavy economy. Technical.ly’s data point to high inventors per 1,000 residents and significant R&D expenditures thanks to Microsoft, Amazon, major research universities and a deep bench of life sciences and materials companies. The core startup rate and young-firm employment share sit in the upper-middle tier nationally—good, but somewhat overshadowed by the sheer size of big employers—and the Economic Dynamism score reflects a mix of strong metro churn and slower rural regions. Washington’s opportunity is to leverage its R&D and big-tech gravity into more independent startups in AI, climate and advanced manufacturing, particularly east of the Cascades, while addressing affordability and infrastructure pressure in Seattle.

Primary ecosystem(s): Seattle

Seattle has a “cloud, AI and developer tools” strength, but as one of a few truly world-class ecosystems, it has a bit of everything. Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing are major talent and invention engines. Founders build on top of or next to major platforms, with strengths in dev tools, AI infrastructure, gaming and enterprise SaaS. The city benefits from a deep technical workforce and global corporate presence, but faces rising costs and concerns that big-tech gravity can overshadow homegrown startups. Despite its big heft, Seattle still performed well in the recently released Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s ARIE report, for producing high-earning entrepreneurs. Well-regarded news site GeekWire contributes solid storytelling and communications tools.  

• Strengths: Major cloud platforms and engineering talent; AI and gaming clusters; strong university presence; global connections
• Weaknesses: High housing and living costs; heavy reliance on a few major employers; challenges with civic and infrastructure investment
• Organizers to know: WTIA; Create 33; local accelerators and coworking spaces; Seattle Tech Week organizers
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Seattle Tech Week in the summer, and Seattle Startup Week–style programming in the fall

West Virginia is at a “transition and storytelling” stage: shifting from coal and heavy industry toward advanced manufacturing, energy tech and small-scale entrepreneurship. State-led efforts like the Daily304 news platform and multiple EDA strategy development grants have signaled a rare seriousness about telling West Virginia’s story to itself and the outside world. But they are primarily self-referential, with limited third-party, independent verification or reinforcement of the state’s pro-entrepreneurship investments. Startup fundamentals remain low, Technical.ly’s data analysis shows a relatively low core startup rate, a small share of workers at firms under five years old and one of the lower inventor-per-1,000-residents figures among states. That’s all consistent with an economy still dominated by legacy industries and public employment. R&D expenditures are modest and heavily concentrated at a few university and energy-related institutions, and the Economic Dynamism score sits in the bottom tier, reflecting outmigration and slow job churn. But there is growing alignment among state agencies, universities and local organizers to support new businesses tied to energy, advanced manufacturing and outdoor recreation. A new statewide ecosystem-building strategy is underway. The opportunity is to convert these narratives and strategies into durable founder support, communications strategy and economic gains.

Primary ecosystem(s): Charleston–Morgantown corridor

The Charleston–Morgantown corridor covers “policy to prototypes”: Charleston as the state capital and hub for professional services, Morgantown as a university and research center. Founders build in energy services, manufacturing tech, health tech and outdoor products. The corridor’s innovation story is still young, but a mix of state funding, university programs and early-stage support organizations is starting to create a recognizable ecosystem.

• Strengths: Strong identity and sense of place; emerging advanced manufacturing and energy-tech specializations; coordinated state messaging; state-level organizing that is centering entrepreneurship 
• Weaknesses: Very limited capital; brain drain; infrastructure and health challenges; small markets
• Organizers to know: West Virginia Department of Economic Development; TechConnect; Daily304; WV advanced energy and industrial manufacturing consortia; West Virginia University innovation programs; local ESOs
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Bridging Innovation Week (April)
• For more, read Technical.ly’s coverage of organizing efforts

Wisconsin is a “biohealth and manufacturing” state with quietly solid fundamentals. Technical.ly’s data analysis shows a mid-pack core startup rate and share of workers at firms under five years old, with stronger numbers in Madison and weaker ones in some legacy manufacturing regions. Inventors per 1,000 residents are above average for the Midwest, driven by university research and industrial R&D, and R&D spending is meaningful thanks to UW–Madison and a cluster of biohealth and engineering firms. The Economic Dynamism score is steady rather than spectacular: Wisconsin is more a story of durable firms than explosive churn. The Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub is a bet that leaning harder into biohealth and advanced manufacturing can nudge those startup and dynamism indicators higher over time.

Primary ecosystem(s): Madison

Madison is a “biohealth and software” ecosystem. UW–Madison and a dense network of research institutes create a strong life sciences and biohealth pipeline, while a growing software community builds in health-tech, edtech and enterprise software. The city’s quality of life and university culture attract and retain talent, though capital remains modest compared with larger hubs.

• Strengths: Biohealth research; strong university; livable city with high educational attainment; growing software and startup scene
• Weaknesses: Limited venture density; colder climate perception; risk of losing companies to coastal hubs as they scale
• Organizers to know: BioForward Wisconsin; Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub consortium; gener8tor; StartingBlock Madison; Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Forward Fest, Madison’s annual weeklong festival of innovation and entrepreneurship each August.

Wyoming is an “energy, tourism and frontier tech” state whose metrics reflect its small, highly specialized economy. Technical.ly’s analysis shows one of the lowest absolute core startup rates and inventors per 1,000 residents, reflecting a lack of high-growth entrepreneurs, but the share of workers at firms under five years old is less dire than the headline might suggest, reflecting constant churn among small businesses in tourism, services and contracting. With minimal academic pedigree, R&D expenditures are limited and focused on energy and natural resources, and the Economic Dynamism score is subdued, with growth concentrated in a handful of counties. Wyoming’s realistic path forward is to use frontier experiments in energy, carbon management and outdoor/land-based businesses to slowly shift those numbers without losing the small-scale character that draws people there. It is far behind in pro-entrepreneurship ecosystem building.

Primary ecosystem(s): Front Range–Jackson corridor

The Front Range–Jackson corridor links Cheyenne and Laramie (state government and the University of Wyoming) with Jackson Hole (tourism, wealth and outdoor entrepreneurship). Founders build in outdoor gear, tourism tech, software services and energy-tech adjacent to traditional industries. The region’s appeal is quality of life and frontier identity; its challenge is access to capital, talent and infrastructure.

• Strengths: Strong frontier and outdoor brand; university presence; energy expertise; high per-capita wealth in certain communities
• Weaknesses: Very low density; limited local capital; heavy reliance on extractives and tourism; seasonal economies; very little ecosystem activity
  Organizers to know: University of Wyoming’s innovation centers; state blockchain and digital asset initiatives; local chambers and outdoor industry alliances
• Best time to visit this ecosystem: Summer and early fall, when startup and outdoor industry events in Laramie and Jackson align with peak tourism and community gatherings.