Mention the "Tech Valley" to someone and they could be forgiven for assuming that California's Silicon Valley is the topic of conversation. The Tech Valley is located in eastern New York and, though it's not as well known as its sexier West Coast cousin, it is becoming a hot spot for tech companies.

Today more than 200 high-tech businesses have a presence in the Tech Valley, a corridor that stretches from the Canadian border to just north of New York City. The region is home to the University of Albany's College of Nanoscale...