Item Information

Persistent Life

By Kim Young-wook

Publication Date	September 19, 2021
Pages, Weight, Dimensions	280 pages \| 522g \| 15222520mm

Book Introduction

Live a persistent life!
Never give in, but persistently and tenaciously pursue your dreams

"Persistent Life" tells the story of Kim Young-wook, CEO of the tech startup Proxy Healthcare, who veered off his predetermined path to live the life he truly wanted, facing indomitable challenges until he finally started his own business. He quit medical school, which everyone envied, took the college entrance exam again to pursue engineering, and entered Seoul National University's College of Engineering. After earning a Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Maryland in the U.S., he returned to Korea and worked fiercely, achieving results at large corporations like Samsung Electro-Mechanics and small venture companies like Seegene. While he was charging ahead, everything stopped when he was suddenly diagnosed with colon cancer. At that crossroads of life and death, he remembered and challenged himself to start a startup, something he had always wanted to do. In just one year, he developed the Tromatz toothbrush, which removes microbial films. The story of a man carving out his own life and a startup challenge unfolds like a drama.

Kim Young-wook, the author of "Persistent Life," says that if he had to describe himself in one word, it would be "Persistent." The English word "persistent" means "tenacious" and "dogged." For him, persistent means "never giving up no matter what happens, no matter what trials, and never becoming complacent with any small success." This originated from his time studying in the U.S., when his American friends called him "Persistent Young Kim" because of his constant challenges. Persistence is both his philosophy and his attitude towards life.

Prologue The Inventor's Spirit Enriches Life

Part 1 There Is No Right Answer

Chapter 1 Growth is More Important Than Success
1. I wanted to forge my own path
Following strangers in unfamiliar places / Life is the sum of all possibilities / The past is rewritten by the future / One must find their own next path

2. Doing it just to do it is different from doing it for fun
Why did I choose it, and why did I quit? / Finally encountering the engineering I imagined / Doing something out of necessity is different from doing it out of desire

3. I risked everything to confirm the possibilities
Changing survival strategy from fighting to studying / Moving forward by proving oneself / Stepping outside the defined path

Chapter 2 Begin Again! But Go All the Way

1. Don't be fooled by the lie of 'next time'
There is no 'next' for those who settle / Going to where I can do what I'm good at / Life hides minefields everywhere

2. Don't let fear steal your energy and time
Facing the barrier of English / There's no option but to not run away / Finally hearing "well done" / I will never tremble again

3. Prove yourself in a place where no one knows you
Let's just focus on the immediate reality / It's better to prove yourself quickly

4. Displaying true value by converging medicine and engineering
'Survival' is the biggest competitive edge / Developing a microbial film detection chip / Risking life to develop bio-technology / But it's not over till it's over

Part 2 There Are No Free Lunches

Chapter 1 If you do nothing, you can't even fail

1. Do you regret it? I regret it!
Realizing it's okay to lean on others / Now is not the time for regrets / So, I'm starting over in reality!

2. Define the problem properly
There's no such thing as "that's just how it is." / If you want to change the conclusion, start over from the beginning.

3. It hurts the most when you feel like you're regressing
You have to know without trying / It feels best when you feel you're developing

Chapter 2 One must be able to decide for themselves

1. Go where you can
Pondering again from the starting line / Throwing my resignation into the paper shredder

2. It's okay to start from 0 again
Advancing step by step / Despair arrives when shining brightest

3. The flame of life burns brightly in the face of despair
I can't end my life like this / Preparing for a startup in the operating room / Do what you desperately want to do now

Part 3 No Secrets

Chapter 1 It's okay to be reckless and foolish

1. The difference between 0 and 1!
Without a primer, there's no spring water / Success lies at the end of lonely, desperate, and messy work / Business can fall apart at any time

2. Starting in the name of innovation
Changing things that haven't changed / Hearing "the current product is B-grade!" / Having a late-night marketing meeting with my father / Learning and improving through defects

Chapter 2 There Are No Secrets to Any Success

1. Startups also need a compass and a speedometer
Why did I fail back then? / Learning from my father

2. You can't succeed alone! The team is important
"I'm confident in HR!" / Learning from another team disbandment / Recruiting former supervisors

3. Funding, Practice, and Progress
Seeking seed investors! / Learning from over 70 investors / Be calm, calm, and calm again

4. Excellence is the result of effort
Prototypes and finished products are different / Receiving royalties from a large corporation

Chapter 3 Live Dangerously to the End

1. Would I have started a business anyway?
My aptitude is 'problem-solving' / Why couldn't I start yesterday?

2. Confirm the true nature of fear
You have to overcome the limits of your experience / Go into the fog

3. The age of inventors is not over
We need slingshots / Ultimately, only you know the answer

Item Information

Persistent Life

Book Introduction

Table of Contents

The Age of the Inventors Continues<br>Persistent Life<br>By Kim Young-wook

사업자등록증

바로가기

Social media

Supported payment methods