When it comes to areas that have a thriving tech industry, you probably think of California’s Silicon Valley, but a new study from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) says that high-tech innovation plays a critical role in South Dakota’s economy, too.

Rich Naser is the president of Zeal, a technology incubator in Sioux Falls..

Incubators, in business terms, are places that supply support staff and equipment, made available at low rent to new small businesses.

Naser says Zeal has made an impact in the state’s economy over the last decade…

Naser says one of their first clients is now one of their most successful…

Naser says the state is also home to established ag-driven tech companies such as Poet and Raven Industries, and is creating new ones like the Farmers Business Network..

ITIF, a think tank for science and technology policy, examined 20 indicators of the innovation-driven high-tech economy to paint statistical portraits of all 435 U.S. congressional districts, 50 states, and the District of Columbia.