Barbara Ann Corcoran

 Barbara Ann Corcoran, born March 10, 1949 is an American businesswoman and investor. She is also a public speaker, consultant, columnist syndicated to a speaker writer, author and television personality. The Corcoran Group is a New York City-based real estate brokerage. In 2001, it was sold to NRT at $66 million. Corcoran quit the firm shortly thereafter. Corcoran was one of the original Shark Tank investors. She has appeared on every season of ABC's Shark Tank. She has participated in 53 deals as of February 2020. The most significant was a $350,000 investment to pay for 40 percent of Coverplay. Corcoran was the second of 10 children born to an Irish Catholic couple of working class located in Edgewater, New Jersey. Florence, her mother was a homemaker. Edwin W. Corcoran Jr. was her father during Corcoran's early years. Sometimes, her family relied upon free food delivery from a nearby grocery store. Corcoran says her father was drunk who did her mother a disservice and disrespect. Corcoran struggled at school, and was later told that she had dyslexia. Corcoran was a student at the local Catholic elementary school before beginning high school at St. Cecilia High School in Englewood. Corcoran completed her studies at Leonia High School with a degree in English after not completing several classes in her freshman years.