도서 소개

An intimate chronicle of how one fintech team shattered industry boundaries through relentless innovation, strategic audacity, and unwavering commitment to simplifying finance for millions.

  출판사 리뷰

What This Book Is About
UNRELENTING tells the true story of Toss, a Korean fintech startup that transformed how people send and receive money. But more importantly, it's a story about people-35 team members who dared to question the inconveniences we've learned to accept and built something extraordinary in response.

Beginning in 2011 with a single audacious question-"Why is sending money so difficult?"-this book chronicles Toss's eleven-year journey through eight consecutive failures, regulatory battles, and moments of breakthrough that would reshape Korea's financial landscape. From the humble coworking spaces of early 2015 to the regulatory triumph of becoming the nation's third internet bank, UNRELENTING captures the raw, unpolished reality of building something that matters.

Why Read This Book?
For entrepreneurs and founders: A masterclass in persistence. Learn how Toss navigated regulatory hurdles, pivoted business models, and maintained conviction when the path forward seemed impossible.

For business leaders: Insights into building a high-velocity organization driven by clear purpose, radical honesty, and a commitment to doing the hard work that others avoid.

For anyone interested in innovation: Discover how technological innovation intersects with regulatory policy, customer psychology, and human ambition in the real world.

For readers of company histories: An unflinching look at what it actually takes to build a global fintech unicorn-the victories and the setbacks, the brilliant ideas and the near-fatal mistakes.

KEY THEMES
Boundary Breaking: How a startup challenges the financial establishment and wins

Radical Honesty: The role of transparency and accountability in driving exceptional teams

Iteration and Failure: Eight failures that ultimately led to one defining success

Cultural Leadership: Building a team culture centered on ambitious goals and relentless execution

Regulatory Innovation: Navigating Korea's financial system to create solutions that were never before possible

Customer-Obsessed Design: Making complex financial services genuinely simple and accessible

  작가 소개

지은이 : 정경화
토스 콘텐츠 매니저. 신문사 경제부 기자로 일할 때 토스가 재수 끝에 인터넷은행 인가를 받았다는 기사를 쓴 바 있다. 2020년 토스팀에 합류했는데, 알려진 것보다 훨씬 흥미로운 이야기를 품고 있는 회사임을 직감했다. 내부자와 관찰자의 시선을 오가며 토스팀의 이야기를 썼다. 현실에 굳게 발 딛고 선 기록은 오래도록 힘을 발휘한다고 믿는다.토스 앱을 만든 비바리퍼블리카는 금융이 얼마나 간편하면서도 안전할 수 있는지에 관한 상상을 현실로 바꾸는 회사다. 사명(社名)은 ‘공화국 만세’라는 의미의 라틴어로 프랑스 혁명 당시 시민들이 외쳤던 구호이며, ‘혁명적인 서비스를 만들자’는 의미를 담았다. 정작 구성원들은 회사 이름을 부르기보다 ‘토스팀’이라는 표현을 즐겨 쓴다. 토스팀은 자주 실패하고 간혹 성공하는 데 익숙하다. 2015년 국내 최초 간편송금 앱을 내놓기 전까지 겪었던 여덟 번의 완전한 실패가 DNA에 각인되었다. 아홉 번째 도전으로 토스 앱을 선보였을 때 사람들은 공인인증서 없는 새로운 송금 경험에 열광했고, 곧 간편송금은 표준이 됐다. 성공의 순간 토스팀은 더 큰 꿈을 꾸었다. 송금·결제 앱에 머무르는 대신 신용·대출·카드·보험 등 금융의 모든 순간을 다루는 플랫폼으로 성장했다. 증권사와 인터넷은행 등 전통 금융 영역으로 거침없이 나아갔다. 최근에는 모빌리티, 신용평가, 알뜰폰, 결제단말기 사업 등에 진출하며, 금융의 경계를 허물고 넓히는 방식으로 또 다른 도전에 나서고 있다.

  목차

Prologue

To readers far away

Chapter 1. The Courage to Cross the Line
- The beginning of a journey
- Wanted by no one in the world
- Ghost protocol
- Shutdown

Chapter 2. Careful, but Ruthless
- All set to bring you in
- Official launch
- Born into competition
- A collapsed revenue model
- Beyond transfers, toward a financial platform
- And so we fail-only to succeed in the end

Chapter 3. The World’s Fastest-Growing Startup
- Tears shed in Silicon Valley
- A rush of account closures
- Bold in ambition, dadadada in execution
- The positive impact of a financial platform
- Growing pains

Chapter 4. Why Road Bikes Are Uncomfortable
- The hidden cost of speed
- Horizontal innovation
- Epic growth
- Becoming a unicorn

Chapter 5. A Sign of a Great Undertaking
- Reclaiming our vigor
- The scale-up strategy
- The stage is set
- Charting its own course
- Trust as an asset

Chapter 6. Innovation: No Beginning, No End
- The long-awaited future
- A bank for more people
- Dreaming beyond boundaries
- The hypothesis remains unproven

Epilogue
Endnotes

  회원리뷰