Barbara Ann Corcoran

 Barbara Ann Corcoran, born March 10, 1949, is an American businesswoman and investor. She is also a speaker and consultant, a columnist syndicated to a speaker as an author, author, and television personality. The Corcoran Group, an NYC real estate brokerage, was founded by Corcoran. NRT bought it in 2001 for $66 million. Corcoran then left the business. Corcoran, one of ABC's original Shark investors, has been a part of every episode of Shark Tank. As of February 2020, she had signed 53 deals for the show, with the biggest one being $350,000 to purchase 40% of Coverplay. Corcoran was the second of a family of 10 children born to an Irish Catholic couple of working class in Edgewater, New Jersey. Florence Corcoran's mom, was a housewife. Edwin W. Corcoran Jr. became her father throughout Corcoran's childhood. The family relied on food delivered by the local grocer who would deliver free food. Corcoran still remembers her father as someone who drank sometimes and did not treat her mother with respect. Corcoran struggled in school, and eventually discovered that she had dyslexia. Corcoran was a student at the local Catholic elementary school, and then began high school at St. Cecilia High School in Englewood. Corcoran completed her studies at Leonia High School with a degree in English after having failed several classes during her first year.