Founded by current electrical engineering student Stephen Fazio, the growing toy brand ZipString earned recognition for its latest invention at the “Oscars of the toy industry.”
The ZipString team at the Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards gala, where the new Aracna device was recognized among the industry’s standout toys. Pictured (left to right): Spencer Burnett (operations and logistics), Austin Hillam (cofounder), Jennifer Hillam (Austin's wife), Robert Yusim (toy consultant and industry mentor), Barry Schwartz (Schwartz Public Relations Assoc., Inc.), Ryan Carr (video producer), Chandler Wilkins (director of sales), and Stephen Fazio (cofounder).
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A Georgia Tech class project that began in a dorm room has now placed an undergraduate electrical engineering student among the toy industry’s top innovators.
Stephen Fazio, cofounder of ZipString, returned to New York City this winter as the company’s latest invention, ZipString Aracna, was nominated for Kidult Toy of the Year at the Toy Foundation’s 2026 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards.
The gala, held February 13 and often described as the “Oscars of the toy industry,” brings together hundreds of leaders to recognize innovation and creativity in toys and games.
“In a way it feels like we have finally arrived and made it in the toy industry. To be nominated for our second Toy of the Year award establishes us as more than just a one‑hit‑wonder,” said Fazio, who will be graduating this spring.
He first attended TOTY in 2025 when ZipString Luma, a glow‑in‑the‑dark version of the product, was nominated for Educational Toy of the Year.
Following the gala, the ZipString team spent four days at the North American International Toy Fair (Toy Fair New York) at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. It is the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere and featured more than 720 exhibitors and thousands of attendees from nearly 100 countries, along with trend briefings, seminars and extensive networking opportunities for creators, buyers, and media.
Fazio outside the Van Leer Building during a brief return to campus for finals between toy industry events.
The ZipString team at Toy Fair New York, a multi‑day event that draws thousands of global toy industry professionals each year.
Dorm Room Prototype Goes Global
Fazio created the first five ZipString units as a Tech undergraduate, developing a motor‑powered toy that propels a loop of string into the air and stabilizes it through the forces acting on the moving string. That early prototype eventually grew into a company that has now sold more than two million units worldwide.
“When we started, we had no capital, no distribution and no connections. But we had a dream and a lot of grit,” Fazio said.
Aracna, the company’s new wrist‑mounted version, represents a further leap in engineering and design. It launches a loop of string at speeds above 35 miles per hour and retracts instantly when released. It is intended to feel more like a compact superhero tool.
Built on Georgia Tech Ingenuity
ZipString’s ties to Georgia Tech remain central to the company’s identity and recruiting.
Fazio continues to meet prospective interns and hires at ECE Career Fairs. ZipString engineer Tomer Bromberg, a 2023 Georgia Tech mechanical engineering graduate with a minor in industrial design, has also helped establish a summer studio course in the School of Industrial Design with Professor Stephen Chininis.
“I think Georgia Tech’s approach to entrepreneurship is broader than the usual ‘prove a customer will buy a product to solve a measurable problem,’” Fazio said. “At Georgia Tech there is a place to create for the joy of it. I am looking forward to future involvement with programs and students.”
What’s Next
This semester has been a sprint for Fazio. He spent the first week of classes in Asia setting up production, later met international distributors at a toy fair in Europe, and then returned to the U.S. to prepare for Toy Fair New York. In the middle of the trade show, he flew back to Atlanta for a single day to take two midterm exams before returning to the show.
“I have had mentors worth orders of magnitude more than me tell me I need to finish engineering school,” Fazio said. “I see it as an investment in myself, and it is worth it. I want to graduate, and I am willing to sprint through the finish line to make that happen.”
With Aracna now in the market, ZipString is developing new products and expanding into additional toy categories.
Fazio will continue leading the company full time after graduation and plans to bring more work in‑house as the team grows.
“The dream and ambition are the same, but we are positioned very differently than when we started," he said. “If anyone has a creative mind that can turn a napkin sketch of a wacky invention into reality and wants to try professional toy design for a small, innovative company, my inbox is open.”
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