ZipString Shark Tank Update: Did ZipString Get a Deal?

ZipString is a viral, high-tech string toy that captured the nation’s attention when it appeared on Season 14 of the television show Shark Tank.

By taking a simple loop of string and launching it through the air at high speeds, the toy creates mesmerizing, gravity-defying shapes that look like pure magic.

While many fans remember the founders shaking hands with the Sharks, a massive amount of change has happened since that episode first aired.

Between turning down their investment deal behind the scenes, launching the wearable ZipString Aracna web-shooter, and expanding into thousands of retail stores, the company has experienced explosive growth.

Here is everything to know about ZipString, including the true backstory of the founders, what really happened with their television deal, and how much the company is worth today.

What Is ZipString and How Does It Work?

ZipString is an innovative handheld gadget that makes a standard loop of string float and fly through the air. While it looks like a simple magic trick, the device works by carefully balancing the physical forces of gravity, lift, tension, and drag.

When the user pushes the launch button, the internal motors spin the string at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Because the string moves so incredibly fast, it holds its shape in the air and mimics the movements of the user’s hand.

The secret to the toy’s success lies in the string itself. The string features a slightly fuzzy texture. As it spins, those tiny fibers catch the air, creating aerodynamic lift that keeps the loop floating upward instead of falling to the floor.

This precise balance allows users to perform endless tricks, wrap the string around smooth objects, and create floating loops. The toy is designed for all ages.

It serves as a fun physical activity that gets kids away from digital screens, while also acting as a relaxing, mesmerizing fidget gadget for adults.

It features a rechargeable USB-C battery, requires no clean-up, and is built to be totally safe to the touch.

Who Are the Founders of ZipString?

ZipString was created by two college students: Stephen Fazio and Austin Hillam.

The idea first sparked in December 2020. Stephen was studying electrical engineering at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia. For a class project, he was challenged to build a functioning circuit board smaller than a credit card.

Inspired by a YouTube video of a bulky, tabletop string launcher, Stephen wanted to shrink the technology down into a handheld device. He used his plastic train card as a template and successfully built the world’s first pocket-sized string shooter.

Stephen later met Austin, a manufacturing engineering student at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Along with Austin’s father, Mark Hillam, the team set up a workshop in the Hillam family basement in Johns Creek, Georgia. They worked endlessly to refine the design, eventually creating a sleek, consumer-friendly gadget.

In August 2021, Stephen posted a video of the ZipString in action on TikTok. The video exploded overnight, racking up 20 million views in a single day and hitting the front page of Reddit.

Knowing they had a massive hit on their hands, the two students paused their college studies, launched a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, and hand-built their first 4,000 units right in the basement.

ZipString Shark Tank Pitch

In 2022, Austin and Stephen walked onto the set of Shark Tank wearing matching black suits and sunglasses. They were seeking a $100,000 investment in exchange for 10% equity in their business.

The pitch was highly entertaining. The founders demonstrated a variety of tricks and had the Sharks out of their seats laughing, smiling, and playing with the toys.

However, the mood shifted slightly when the investors started asking about the financials. Despite having viral videos with millions of views, the founders had only sold 10,000 units, generating $277,000 in total sales.

The founders explained that the low sales numbers were due to strict manufacturing limits. Because they were still making the toys by hand in a basement, they simply could not produce them fast enough to meet the massive worldwide demand.

Some Sharks dropped out, worried about the low sales volume and the high cost of local production. But Kevin O’Leary and Robert Herjavec saw massive potential in the toy’s viral appeal.

Robert initially offered $100,000 for 10% equity. Kevin then offered $100,000 for 9% equity. Eventually, the two Sharks teamed up and offered a joint deal: $100,000 for 20% equity.

Fearing they might lose out on the connections the Sharks could provide, Austin and Stephen quickly accepted the double deal on camera.

ZipString Shark Tank Pitch Summary

Shark	Investment Offer	Equity Requested	Deal Accepted on TV?
Robert Herjavec	$100,000	10%	No
Kevin O’Leary	$100,000	9%	No
Kevin & Robert (Joint)	$100,000	20%	Yes

Did the Shark Tank Deal Actually Close?

No. While the television episode ended with handshakes and celebrations, the deal never actually closed.

It is very common for agreements made on the show to change or fall through during the off-camera due diligence process.

In the case of ZipString, Austin and Stephen ultimately decided to pass on the investment from Robert Herjavec and Kevin O’Leary.

By walking away, the founders were able to retain 100% ownership of their rapidly growing company.

They relied on their own profits, strong word-of-mouth, and massive social media reach to scale the business without giving up a large chunk of their equity.

ZipString Explosive Growth and Retail Expansion

Passing on the investors’ money did not slow ZipString down. In fact, their appearance on the show caused a massive surge in website traffic.

Within minutes of the episode airing, over 100,000 people visited their online store, completely selling out their inventory and causing heavy backorders.

To catch up, the company moved out of the family basement and partnered with international manufacturing facilities.

By the end of the 2024 holiday season, ZipString hit a monumental milestone: over 1 million units sold. By early 2026, that number soared past the 2 million mark.

A major catalyst for this growth was a strategic collaboration with the massively popular YouTube group, Dude Perfect.

The group featured the toy on their national stage tour and in viral videos. This partnership paved the way for ZipString to land physical retail placement in over 4,000 Walmart stores across the United States.

The brand also successfully launched in Target locations in 2025 and secured retail placement in 30 different countries worldwide.

ZipString Product Line

Since its television debut, the company has expanded far beyond its original prototype. Today, the brand offers three distinct versions of the toy to keep up with consumer demand.

Product Name	Price	Key Features
ZipString Original	$29.99	The classic handheld device. Available in multiple bright colors with interchangeable string lengths.
ZipString Luma	$34.99	A glow-in-the-dark version released in late 2024. It features built-in LED lights to illuminate UV-reactive strings for nighttime play.
ZipString Aracna	$39.99	A wearable web-shooter that straps to your wrist. It instantly shoots and retracts a glowing loop of string, making you feel like a real superhero.

Customers can also purchase extra string bundles, like the Psycho Pack for $9.99, to ensure they always have fresh strings ready for new tricks.

The Aracna Revolution

ZipString’s ability to innovate is a major reason they have survived the notoriously fast-paced toy industry. While the glow-in-the-dark Luma model caused a massive spike in holiday sales, their biggest leap forward came with the launch of the Aracna.

The founders asked themselves, “What if we strapped a ZipString to our wrist and turned it into a web shooter?”. After 18 months of intense engineering, they launched a second Kickstarter campaign to fund the project.

The campaign was an incredible success, hitting its initial funding goal in just minutes and ultimately raising $714,750 from over 10,000 backers.

The Aracna is an auto-retracting string launcher. With the press of a button, it shoots a glowing loop of string out into the air.

When the user lets go of the button, the string instantly snaps back into the device. It comes with UV-reactive strings and works beautifully in the dark, giving kids and adults the ultimate superhero experience.

The toy industry took notice of this incredible innovation. The ZipString Aracna was officially nominated for “Kidult Toy of the Year” at the prestigious Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards.

Hosted by The Toy Foundation in New York City, this gala is widely considered the “Oscars of the toy industry”. This nomination firmly cemented Stephen Fazio and Austin Hillam’s status as elite toy inventors.

Dealing With Knockoffs and Legal Battles

With viral success always comes imitation. Shortly after ZipString blew up on TikTok, cheap copycats and knockoff brands began flooding the internet.

Many customers who accidentally bought knockoffs complained about tangled strings and weak motors. ZipString has worked hard to educate buyers on the precise physics and advanced manufacturing required to make their patented toy work correctly.

To protect their invention, the company secured strong patents (including U.S. Patent No. 11,674,774) that cover the specific method of propelling a fuzzy loop of string through the air.

Competitors quickly learned that ZipString was ready to defend its designs. In 2024, a legal dispute arose involving a competitor named NxtGen Toys.

While the patent infringement lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice in April 2024, the move showed that the ZipString team takes its intellectual property very seriously.

ZipString Net Worth and Revenue

Thanks to their smart decision to keep their equity, successful retail launches, and back-to-back hit products, the company is highly profitable today.

As of today, ZipString has an estimated company valuation of $2 million. Their baseline annual revenue is estimated to sit around $600,000, though this number fluctuates heavily during the holiday shopping season.

Considering they have sold well over 2 million total units at price points ranging from $29.99 to $39.99, their lifetime gross sales are incredibly high.

By moving into global markets and locking down distribution deals with giant American retailers like Walmart and Target, ZipString has secured long-term financial stability without needing a Shark’s help.

Is ZipString Still in Business?

Yes, ZipString is very much still in business. What started as a small college class project has grown into an international toy brand with millions of devoted fans who proudly call themselves “Zipsters”.

The company continues to operate out of their headquarters in Johns Creek, Georgia. You can purchase all of their products, including the Original, the Luma, and the Aracna, directly on their official website, through their Amazon storefront, or in major retail stores.

Stephen Fazio and Austin Hillam proved that with a great idea, an understanding of science, and a little bit of viral marketing, you can build an empire without giving away your business on national television.

Whether you want to master new string tricks in the backyard or feel like a superhero with the Aracna web-shooter, ZipString remains one of the most unique and entertaining toys on the market today.