I suspect the tech debt that many start ups encounter is a matter of execution. They likely require original solutions to tough problems in very short time. The way to reduce tech debt in this case is to make deliberate time at great expense to frequently refactor complexity out of the system.

In the corporate world, on the other hand, the problem is an astonishing fear of originality. Most places I have worked have invented here mentality baked into every decision. Every 5 to 8 years they start over completely with a different tool, framework, or language hoping it magically solves for the group’s prior poor implementation.