The celebrity money desk Who's really writing the cheques
●SERENA WILLIAMS16 UNICORNS BACKED●REESE WITHERSPOON$900M MEDIA EXIT●OPRAH WINFREY$43M WEIGHT WATCHERS●GWYNETH PALTROW$250M GOOP VALUATION●RIHANNA$1B SAVAGE X FENTY●JESSICA ALBAHONEST CO. · NASDAQ IPO●HALLE BERRYBACKS WOMEN'S HEALTH●BEYONCÉLEMON PERFECT BACKER●JENNIFER LOPEZHIMS & HERS BACKER●KIM KARDASHIANSKKY PARTNERS PE FUND●SELENA GOMEZGOPUFF STRATEGIC PARTNER●PRIYANKA CHOPRABUMBLE EARLY BACKER●DEEPIKA PADUKONEKA ENTERPRISES INVESTOR●SHAKIRAISIMA HAIRCARE FOUNDER●NATALIE PORTMANANGEL CITY CO-FOUNDER●KERRY WASHINGTONANGEL INVESTOR●MINDY KALINGANGEL INVESTOR●EVA LONGORIACASA DEL SOL CO-FOUNDER●CAMERON DIAZAVALINE CO-FOUNDER●DREW BARRYMOREFLOWER BEAUTY FOUNDER●KATE HUDSONFABLETICS CO-FOUNDER●BLAKE LIVELYBETTY BUZZ FOUNDER●VENUS WILLIAMSELEVEN FOUNDER●NAOMI OSAKAHANA KUMA CO-FOUNDER●MARIA SHARAPOVAPROLIFIC WELLNESS ANGEL●TYRA BANKSFIERCE CAPITAL FOUNDER●KARLIE KLOSSBEDFORD MEDIA FOUNDER●ISSA RAETOPICALS & HILLTOP BACKER●KATY PERRYDE SOI CO-FOUNDER●KYLIE JENNER$1.2B KYLIE COSMETICS●BETHENNY FRANKELSKINNYGIRL FOUNDER●MELINDA FRENCH GATESPIVOTAL VENTURES●CATHIE WOODARK INVEST CEO●MELLODY HOBSONARIEL INVESTMENTS CO-CEO●KIRSTEN GREENFORERUNNER VENTURES●SALLIE KRAWCHECKELLEVEST CEO●MARY MEEKERBOND CAPITAL FOUNDER●ARLAN HAMILTONBACKSTAGE CAPITAL●BARBARA CORCORANSHARK TANK INVESTOR●SHERYL SANDBERGEX-META COO●SARA BLAKELYFOUNDER OF SPANX●KATHY XUCAPITAL TODAY FOUNDER●JENNY LEEGRANITE ASIA PARTNER●SOLINA CHAUHORIZONS VENTURES●KIRAN MAZUMDAR-SHAWBIOCON FOUNDER●FALGUNI NAYARNYKAA FOUNDER●MARÍA ASUNCIÓN ARAMBURUZABALATRESALIA CAPITAL●OLIVIA WILDE$500K–$2M CHEQUES●EMMA WATSON2 DOCUMENTED DEALS●PARIS HILTON20+ STARTUP BETS●THE FOSTER SISTERSBUMBLE AND MIRROR EARLY●GRACE BEVERLEY£6.2M IN TALA'S FIRST YEAR●AILEEN LEECOINED "UNICORN"●ANN MIURA-KOSEED INVESTOR IN LYFT●EMMA GREDE8% OF SKIMS●NAMITA THAPAR100+ COMPANIES BACKED●SERENA WILLIAMS16 UNICORNS BACKED●REESE WITHERSPOON$900M MEDIA EXIT●OPRAH WINFREY$43M WEIGHT WATCHERS●GWYNETH PALTROW$250M GOOP VALUATION●RIHANNA$1B SAVAGE X FENTY●JESSICA ALBAHONEST CO. · NASDAQ IPO●HALLE BERRYBACKS WOMEN'S HEALTH●BEYONCÉLEMON PERFECT BACKER●JENNIFER LOPEZHIMS & HERS BACKER●KIM KARDASHIANSKKY PARTNERS PE FUND●SELENA GOMEZGOPUFF STRATEGIC PARTNER●PRIYANKA CHOPRABUMBLE EARLY BACKER●DEEPIKA PADUKONEKA ENTERPRISES INVESTOR●SHAKIRAISIMA HAIRCARE FOUNDER●NATALIE PORTMANANGEL CITY CO-FOUNDER●KERRY WASHINGTONANGEL INVESTOR●MINDY KALINGANGEL INVESTOR●EVA LONGORIACASA DEL SOL CO-FOUNDER●CAMERON DIAZAVALINE CO-FOUNDER●DREW BARRYMOREFLOWER BEAUTY FOUNDER●KATE HUDSONFABLETICS CO-FOUNDER●BLAKE LIVELYBETTY BUZZ FOUNDER●VENUS WILLIAMSELEVEN FOUNDER●NAOMI OSAKAHANA KUMA CO-FOUNDER●MARIA SHARAPOVAPROLIFIC WELLNESS ANGEL●TYRA BANKSFIERCE CAPITAL FOUNDER●KARLIE KLOSSBEDFORD MEDIA FOUNDER●ISSA RAETOPICALS & HILLTOP BACKER●KATY PERRYDE SOI CO-FOUNDER●KYLIE JENNER$1.2B KYLIE COSMETICS●BETHENNY FRANKELSKINNYGIRL FOUNDER●MELINDA FRENCH GATESPIVOTAL VENTURES●CATHIE WOODARK INVEST CEO●MELLODY HOBSONARIEL INVESTMENTS CO-CEO●KIRSTEN GREENFORERUNNER VENTURES●SALLIE KRAWCHECKELLEVEST CEO●MARY MEEKERBOND CAPITAL FOUNDER●ARLAN HAMILTONBACKSTAGE CAPITAL●BARBARA CORCORANSHARK TANK INVESTOR●SHERYL SANDBERGEX-META COO●SARA BLAKELYFOUNDER OF SPANX●KATHY XUCAPITAL TODAY FOUNDER●JENNY LEEGRANITE ASIA PARTNER●SOLINA CHAUHORIZONS VENTURES●KIRAN MAZUMDAR-SHAWBIOCON FOUNDER●FALGUNI NAYARNYKAA FOUNDER●MARÍA ASUNCIÓN ARAMBURUZABALATRESALIA CAPITAL●OLIVIA WILDE$500K–$2M CHEQUES●EMMA WATSON2 DOCUMENTED DEALS●PARIS HILTON20+ STARTUP BETS●THE FOSTER SISTERSBUMBLE AND MIRROR EARLY●GRACE BEVERLEY£6.2M IN TALA'S FIRST YEAR●AILEEN LEECOINED "UNICORN"●ANN MIURA-KOSEED INVESTOR IN LYFT●EMMA GREDE8% OF SKIMS●NAMITA THAPAR100+ COMPANIES BACKED
Business
Barbara Corcoran
Built the Corcoran Group, a NYC residential real-estate brokerage she started with a $1,000 loan and sold to NRT for $66M in 2001. Since 2009 she has invested as a 'shark' on ABC's Shark Tank, taking equity stakes in consumer and small-business startups.
$1,000 loan, 1973 — from her then-boyfriend Ray Simone, who took 51% of the original businessStarting capital
$66 million, sold to NRT in 2001Corcoran Group exit
Original shark since the 2009 first season; 17 seasons as of 2025Shark Tank tenure
Over 120, by her own countBusinesses backed on the show
The Comfy — $50,000 for about a third of the business (2017); she says it returned $468M in three yearsBest-known deal
Has made money on roughly a third of her deals (CNBC, 2023)Self-reported hit rate
Watch
Barbara Corcoran in her own words
Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran: The Biggest Lie About Entrepreneurship · via Boardroom
The thesis
How Barbara Corcoran invests
Corcoran's own record is the argument for her method: a $1,000 loan in 1973 became the Corcoran Group, which she sold to NRT for $66 million in 2001. Since the first season of Shark Tank in 2009 she has backed, by her own count, over 120 businesses, and she is unusually blunt that she is buying the founder rather than the product. She is equally blunt about the hit rate, telling CNBC she has only made money on about a third of her deals. The record supports both halves: The Comfy and Cousins Maine Lobster are among the best outcomes any shark has had, while Tom+Chee's assets were seized by its lender and her agreed investment in Chi'lantro never closed at all. Her headline number for The Comfy, $468 million in three years, is her own figure and has never been broken down publicly; Forbes reported she was bought out in June 2022 for an undisclosed sum. Outside television she has invested through an AngelList syndicate, Barbara Corcoran Venture Partners, and says she keeps putting her own money back into real estate rather than diversifying.
I invest in the person, not the product. I have a quick litmus test to assess the business: Does the product make sense? Will people buy it? Then, I focus on the entrepreneur. Do I like them? Trust them? Do they have the qualities needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
I pay close attention to who takes responsibility and who plays the blame game. Six months after Shark Tank, something always goes wrong — the supplier didn't deliver, the molds were wrong, an employee messed up. But the minute an entrepreneur starts blaming the next guy, I know it's over and they're going to lose my money.
Oversized wearable blanket, founded by brothers Brian and Michael Speciale.
When
Deal agreed on air in season 9 (2017) and closed: $50,000 for about a 30% stake, after the brothers came in asking $50,000 for 20%.
Why
She has said nobody else wanted it and she took the deal herself, on the founders rather than the product.
Status
Exited. Forbes reported Michael Speciale bought her out in June 2022 for an undisclosed sum. The company's revenue ran $20M (2018) to $75M (2021) before a projected drop to $40M in 2022 amid supply-chain trouble. Her widely repeated "$468 million in three years" is her own figure and has never been itemised.
Lobster-roll food trucks turned national franchise, founded by cousins Sabin Lomac and Jim Tselikis.
When
Deal agreed on air in season 4 (2012) and closed: $55,000 for 15% equity. They had asked for $55,000 for 5%.
Why
A single truck in Los Angeles with a sourcing story she thought would franchise.
Status
Operating and her longest-running food success. The company said in June 2025 it had passed $1 billion in cumulative systemwide sales; Restaurant Business counted more than 50 locations across 24 states in 2024.
Aluminium-free deodorant and clean personal-care brand founded by Sarah Moret with $12,000 of her own savings.
When
Deal agreed on air with Corcoran and Mark Cuban jointly. Corcoran lists Curie in her own portfolio, so her side closed; the investment amount has not been disclosed in reputable reporting.
Why
A founder who had already iterated the formula five times off customer feedback before pitching.
Status
Operating and in national retail. BeautyMatter describes it as an eight-figure brand that grew roughly tenfold after the show. Reports that Cuban dropped out post-filming come from secondary coverage we could not confirm with a named outlet.
Korean BBQ-Mexican fusion food trucks and restaurants in Austin, founded by chef Jae Kim.
When
Agreed on air in 2016. The deal never closed.
Why
She was intrigued by Kim and wanted to fund more locations.
Status
No investment. Restaurant Business is explicit that the deal never closed. Kim grew the business anyway on the show's publicity — around 10 Austin locations plus expansion to Houston.
Cincinnati grilled-cheese and tomato-soup fast-casual chain founded by Trew Quackenbush and Corey Ward.
When
Agreed on air in 2013 with Mark Cuban: $600,000 for 30% of the chain. The televised terms did not survive due diligence — Cuban wanted corporate stores rather than franchising and left, and Corcoran continued on a smaller deal.
Why
A concept that had started as a tent in downtown Cincinnati and was already grossing over $1.5 million.
Status
Failed under the original owners. The chain reached about 35 locations, then shrank to roughly 23; the franchisor could not repay a loan, its assets were seized by the lender, and Gold Star Chili bought them in September 2017. This is the clearest example in her record of a televised handshake that was not the deal that got signed.
Mail-order layer cakes baked from family recipes by Kim Nelson in South Carolina.
When
Deal agreed on air in season 2 (2011) and closed — Corcoran carries it in her own portfolio. Reported terms of $50,000 for 25% plus a per-cake royalty appear only in secondary coverage, so treat the numbers as unconfirmed.
Why
Four sharks called the business too small and passed, then kept eating the cake. She backed the baker.
Status
Operating and shipping to all 50 states, per her portfolio page.
Booking service supplying professional Santa Claus performers to homes, retailers and brands, founded by Mitch Allen.
When
Deal agreed on air in season 10 (2018) and closed. Deal terms are reported only by Shark Tank fan sites, which we do not treat as reliable for financial claims, so the amount and equity are left out here.
Why
A seasonal service business with a founder who had stumbled into it by playing Santa at his own company party.
Wedding photo-sharing app for couples and their guests.
When
Participated in a $6.5 million Series B announced February 2015, investing personally and through the AngelList syndicate she runs with Phil Nadel. Brad Feld and Middleland Capital were also in the round.
Why
Her main route to startup investing away from television — a syndicate, not a fund, letting others co-invest alongside her.
Status
The clearest documented example of her off-air venture activity. The syndicate has since been renamed Forefront Venture Partners; its returns are not public.
Direct property investing, the asset class she has never left.
When
Ongoing. In April 2025 she told Fox & Friends, quoted by CNBC, that she had taken "so much money out of the stock market" and was buying: "I've gotten great deals this month. The deals that turned me away four months ago are coming back to me."
Why
She argues the standard advice to diversify is wrong for her and has put her money back into property throughout her career.
Status
Active. Individual holdings are not systematically disclosed, so there is no verifiable portfolio to size.
Photo: Philip Romano — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
What the record doesn't say
Read this with the gaps in mind.
The Comfy ~$468M figure is the value Corcoran cites for a business she was bought out of, not a disclosed personal payout; her broader Shark Tank returns aren't fully disclosed. (Swap the Wikipedia cites for named-outlet ones if possible.)
Barbara Corcoran has backed The Corcoran Group, The Comfy, Cousins Maine Lobster, Grace & Lace, and 11 more. Each one is listed on this page with what the company does and a link to named reporting.
How much has Barbara Corcoran invested?
Cheque sizes are almost never disclosed, and Barbara Corcoran's are mostly private. Where a round size, stake or valuation has been reported we cite the source; otherwise we flag it as undisclosed rather than guess.
How does Barbara Corcoran invest?
Corcoran's own record is the argument for her method: a $1,000 loan in 1973 became the Corcoran Group, which she sold to NRT for $66 million in 2001.
Shark Tank investor