The innovation efficiency of high-tech industries directly impacts the high-quality development of regions. However, China’s high-tech industries face prominent issues such as significant regional disparities in innovation efficiency and a lack of core technologies. The digital economy provides technological support for enterprise innovation, while a favorable business environment is crucial for the effective protection of innovation outcomes. The coupled and coordinated development of these two factors is a key focal point for enhancing the innovation efficiency of high-tech industries in the new era. Based on China’s provincial panel data from 2012 to 2022, this empirical study examines the impact of the coupling and coordination between the digital economy and the business environment on the innovation efficiency of high-tech industries. The findings are as follows. First, the coupling and coordination level between the digital economy and the business environment in China has shown a steady upward trend, yet it remains in a state of weak coordination. Second, the coupling and coordination between the digital economy and the business environment has a significant positive effect on the innovation efficiency of high-tech industries. Third, mechanism tests reveal that the coupling and coordination of the digital economy and the business environment can enhance innovation efficiency by alleviating labor misallocation, strengthening intellectual property protection, and promoting the upgrading of industrial structures. Lastly, the impact of the coupling and coordination between the digital economy and the business environment on innovation efficiency exhibits regional heterogeneity. Specifically, this effect is more pronounced in regions with high levels of coupling and coordination, in the eastern regions, in areas with high openness, and in regions with strong economic resilience. Based on these findings, policy recommendations are proposed, including the establishment of mechanisms for the coupled interaction between the digital economy and the business environment, the exploration of multidimensional innovation efficiency drivers for high-tech industries, and the consideration of regional differences in the coupling and coordination between the digital economy and the business environment in enhancing innovation efficiency.