Barbara Ann Corcoran

 Barbara Ann Corcoran, born March 10, 1949 is an American businesswoman and investor. She is also a speaker and consultant, a columnist syndicated, speaker, author, and TV show host. The Corcoran Group, an NYC real estate brokerage was established by Corcoran. NRT bought it in 2001 for $66 million. Corcoran later left the business. One of the show's first "Shark" investors, Corcoran has appeared in the entire 12 seasons of ABC's Shark Tank until now. Corcoran has been involved in 53 deals as of February 2020. The largest was a $350,000 purchase to pay for 40% of Coverplay. Corcoran was born in Edgewater, New Jersey, the second of 10 children from a working class Irish Catholic family. Florence Corcoran was Florence's mother and was a homemaker. Her father, Edwin W. Corcoran Jr. was a bouncing from job to job during Corcoran's childhood. Her family depended sometimes on the food provided by a friendly local grocer for free food. Corcoran recalls her father as someone who would drink sometimes and did not treat her mother with respect. Corcoran had difficulty in school, and she was later told she was dyslexic. Corcoran was educated in a Catholic elementary school and then enrolled in high school in Englewood at St. Cecilia High School. Corcoran was absent from several classes in her first year before transferring to Leonia High School where she was a D student.