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 as an author, author, and television personality. The Corcoran Group was a New York City real estate brokerage that she started. NRT purchased it for $66million in 2001. Corcoran later left the business. Corcoran was one of the first Shark Tank investors. She has appeared on every season of ABC's Shark Tank. In February of 2020, she had signed 53 deals for the show, with the most significant one being $350,000 in 40 percent 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 mother was a housewife. Edwin W. Corcoran Jr., her father, was constantly switching jobs throughout Corcoran's career. The family relied on free food deliveries from the local grocer. Corcoran recalls that her father was an intoxicated man who would sometimes treat her mother with contempt and disrespect, especially when having consumed alcohol. Corcoran was a struggle throughout her education and later discovered that she had dyslexia. Corcoran attended an Catholic elementary school, and later began high school in Englewood at St. Cecilia High School. After flunking several courses during her first year of high school, Corcoran transferred to Leonia High School and graduated as a D student.