TL;DR:
- Texas rose to fourth place in the national Draper Innovation Index ranking in March 2026, driven by venture capital funding for blockchain projects.
- New York dropped to 49th place and California fell to 31st position due to a slower pace of new startup creation.
- New Hampshire reached third place in the overall innovation metric, despite ranking 40th in state gross domestic product.
Following the March update of the Draper Innovation Index, it was confirmed that the adoption of pro-crypto policies is consolidating the emergence of new tech hubs in the United States. The study, conducted by the BizWorld organization, evaluates the performance of US states based on their tax environment, startup incentives, and venture capital investment volume.
California just fell to 31st.
New York is at 49th.
Meanwhile Texas climbed to 4th. Oklahoma jumped to 15th.
New Hampshire sits at 3rd (despite ranking 40th in GDP and 42nd in population).
The Draper Innovation Index measures the rise and fall of innovation on a global scale.…
— Tim Draper (@TimDraper) July 28, 2026
Reshaping the US Tech Map
Texas’s advance has been steady, reaching 4th place in the national ranking. The combination of capital flows dedicated to blockchain projects and a growing rate of business incorporation boosted the state’s result in the metric.
Oklahoma, for its part, registered a significant rise, positioning itself in 15th place in the overall classification. According to the Draper Innovation Index report, the state’s rebound was driven by growth in startup creation and an increase in funding aimed at the crypto sector during the first quarter of the year.
In contrast, traditional tech hubs suffered setbacks in the indicator. California dropped to 31st place, and New York plummeted to 49th place.
According to the analysis released by Draper, the slowdown in the formation of new businesses and strict regulatory frameworks affected the scores of both economies. Data from the report suggests that the tax burden and regulatory complexity in these territories could be discouraging the establishment of ventures linked to digital assets.
New Hampshire placed third in the overall index. The figure stands out considering that the jurisdiction ranks 40th in gross domestic product and 42nd in population size within the United States territory.
Tax Incentives and Global Investment Trends
A favorable tax environment and regulations aimed at promoting emerging companies strengthened the state’s competitiveness. Official data indicates that the mobility of entrepreneurial capital is leaning toward local frameworks with less administrative rigidity.
On an international scale, Canada moved from 3rd to 5th place in the index’s regional evaluation. Industry reports note that the adjustment coincides with periods of volatility in funding flows and the reorganization of private capital.
The adoption of blockchain-based technologies is emerging as a relevant factor in determining where the next generation of companies will establish themselves. According to the current trend observed in the data, jurisdictions that integrate clear frameworks for digital assets attract greater business activity compared to traditional markets.
Monthly tracking by the Draper Innovation Index will continue through the second half of 2026, a period during which the US Congress will evaluate new regulatory proposals for the digital asset market.
