Barbara Ann Corcoran

 Barbara Ann Corcoran (born March 10, 1949) is an American businesswoman investor speaking, consultant and syndicated columnist. She is also an television host, and author. The Corcoran Group was a New York City real estate brokerage that she started. NRT purchased it for $66million in 2001. Corcoran eventually left the business. Corcoran was one of ABC's first Shark investors, has been a part of every episode of Shark Tank. In February of 2020, she had closed 53 deals. The largest of these was a $350,000 investment in Coverplay at 40%. Corcoran was the second of 10 children born to an Irish Catholic couple of working class in Edgewater, New Jersey.  Her mother, Florence, was a household worker. Edwin W. Corcoran Jr. was her father. He was constantly moving between jobs and the next during Corcoran's early years. Her family frequently depended on food delivery services for free from a local grocer. Corcoran recalls her father as someone who drank sometimes and was rude to her mother. Corcoran struggled throughout her schooling and later discovered that she had dyslexia. Corcoran was educated in a Catholic elementary school, and later began high school in Englewood at St. Cecilia High School. Corcoran completed her studies at Leonia High School with a degree in English after failing several courses during her freshman years.