Barbara Ann Corcoran

 Barbara Ann Corcoran, born March 10, 1949 is an American businesswoman and investor. She is also a speaker, consultant, columnist syndicated to a speaker as an author, author, and television presenter. She was the founder of The Corcoran Group, a real estate brokerage in New York City, which she sold to NRT for $66 million in 2001. She shortly thereafter , the company was sold. Corcoran is among ABC's original Shark Tank investors. Since her inception she has appeared in each seasons of Shark Tank. In February 2020 Corcoran had signed 53 deals, with the biggest being a $350,000 deal that included 40% of Coverplay. Corcoran was born in Edgewater, New Jersey, the second of 10 children in a middle class Irish-Catholic family. Florence was her mother, who was an errand-taker. Edwin W. Corcoran Jr. became her father throughout Corcoran's childhood. Her family depended sometimes on the food provided by an artisanal local grocery store for free food. Corcoran remembers her father as an alcohol-dependent drunkard who often treated her mother with condescension and disrespect, particularly after he had been drinking. Corcoran was a struggling student throughout school. Corcoran later found out that she was dyslexic. Corcoran attended an Catholic elementary and then started high school in Englewood at St. Cecilia High School. Corcoran dropped a few classes during her first year and transferred to Leonia High School where she was an A student.