Barbara Ann Corcoran

 Barbara Ann Corcoran (born March 10, 1949) is an American businesswoman, investor, speaker, consultant writer, syndicated columnist, author, and television personality. She founded The Corcoran Group, a real estate brokerage in New York City, which she sold to NRT for $66 million in 2001, and shortly thereafter , the company was sold. Corcoran is one of ABC's original Shark investors was a featured guest of each episode of Shark Tank. In February of 2020 Corcoran had signed 53 deals, the biggest being a $350,000 investment that included 40% of Coverplay. Corcoran was born in Edgewater (New Jersey) as the second of ten children from a working-class Irish Catholic family. Florence Corcoran's mother was an errand-taker. Edwin W. Corcoran Jr. became her father throughout Corcoran's early years. Sometimes, her family depended on free food delivery from a local, friendly grocery store. Corcoran recalls her father, who was a drunk at times excessively, and behaved towards her mother in a manner that was disrespectful and condescendingly, particularly after he'd consumed some drinks. Corcoran struggled through her schooling and was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia. Corcoran went to an area Catholic elementary school, and then began the high school system at St. Cecilia High School in Englewood. Corcoran graduated from Leonia High School with a diploma in English, despite having failed several classes during her first year.