Barbara Ann Corcoran

 Barbara Ann Corcoran (born March 10, 1949) is an American businesswoman investor and speaker. She is also a consultant, speaker writer, syndicated columnist, television host, and author. The Corcoran Group, an NYC-based real estate brokerage was established by Corcoran. NRT bought it in 2001 for $66 million. Corcoran then left the company. Corcoran has been a part of 12 of ABC's Shark Tank seasons. Since February of 2020, she had signed 53 deals for the show, the largest one being $350,000 for 40 percent of Coverplay. Corcoran was the second of 10 kids born to a working class Irish-Catholic couple living in Edgewater, New Jersey. Florence Corcoran was Florence's mother and also a housekeeper. Edwin W. Corcoran Jr. became her father throughout Corcoran's childhood. Sometimes, the family relied upon deliveries of food for free from a friendly local grocer. Corcoran remembers her father, a man who sometimes drank excessively, and treated her mother with disrespect and condescendingly, particularly after he'd consumed a few drinks. Corcoran struggled at school, and eventually discovered that she was dyslexic. Corcoran entered high school at St. Cecilia High School Englewood following her time at a Catholic elementary school. After flunking several courses during her freshman year, Corcoran transferred to Leonia High School in Leonia, where she was a D-student when she graduated.