How to go from a University of Maryland dorm room to a Super Bowl commercial in 10 years

Sure, there was a football game Sunday, and a lackluster one at that. Thankfully, the all-important ads were better than the action, and this year’s batch included a spot for a company that began in a University of Maryland dorm room 10 years ago.

Anthony Casalena was a student at Maryland when he borrowed $30,000 from his father to launch a new business designed to enable anyone to build their own website. A decade later, he’s the CEO of New York-based Squarespace Inc.

It’s no small bet to go with a Super Bowl ad for a young company. But after bootstrapping the company for six years followed by a $38.5 million minority investment from Index Ventures and Accel Partners in 2010, the company is one that’s used to risk.

If you didn’t catch their ad during the game, you can check it out below.

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