Barbara Corcoran’s chilly remarks on ABC’s “Shark Tank” left a younger Black entrepreneur combating again tears, sparking outrage from viewers and fellow Sharks alike.
Throughout Season 11, episode 11 in 2020, Corcoran primarily instructed Melissa Bartow, founding father of the vegan date unfold firm Wanna Date, that she wasn’t hungry sufficient for achievement as a result of her father was serving to pay her hire.
“Once I was beginning my enterprise, if I didn’t make a deal inside two weeks, I used to be lifeless. I wanted to reside someplace and eat,” Corcoran stated with a pointed stare after studying the current NYU graduate’s father was masking her residing bills.
“What’s in your approach, I consider, is that your father’s serving to you as a result of succeeding is an choice versus a necessity,” she added. “And I discovered that the folks that actually succeed have an actual necessity.”
The reducing remarks landed arduous, with Bartow’s voice breaking as she defended herself in opposition to what many viewers later known as an unfair assault on household assist.
“Effectively, I received’t be homeless if this fails,” Bartow responded, combating again tears, “however I do every part alone. My dad simply believes in me. I’ve by no means had something handed to me in my entire life. I’m not like a wealthy child. I don’t sleep. I carry circumstances of this throughout New York occasions. I do all of them myself. No person helps me.”
Corcoran doubled down, stating, “Take away that safety blanket of getting your hire paid and the comparability could be like night time and day what you’ll be able to accomplish. I’ve seen it time and again with so many individuals.”
The younger entrepreneur stood her floor regardless of her feelings, declaring, “Failure is simply while you give up. I don’t give up, so this received’t fail as a result of I’ll go till it succeeds.”
That’s when fellow Sharks Daymond John and Mark Cuban intervened, calling out Corcoran’s perspective and defending Bartow.
“Hear, I began out, and my mom mortgage the home, and with out her mortgaging the house, I couldn’t have financed my first couple of shirts,” John fired again. “So I imply that’s Barbara’s opinion.”
Cuban, who later invested in Bartow’s firm, added his tackle Corcoran’s logic, ” You recognize what, I don’t agree. I perceive from an funding perspective it actually there’s worth when somebody’s again’s in opposition to the wall. We’ve all had confronted it, proper? However that’s like saying Barbara’s proper meaning none of our children by no means do something on their very own.”
The conflict clearly struck a nerve with viewers, who took to YouTube to blast Corcoran’s stance.
“I cherished how Daymond and Mark got here to her protection. It’s utterly unfair to have your future written out for you on the idea of one thing that’s simply unfaithful,” one commenter wrote.
One other didn’t maintain again: “I usually hate when the entrepreneurs tear up and cry however I 100% understood why this woman did. Barbara was so out of line.”
“That was a crummy factor for Barbara to say. Anybody who says they’re ‘self-made’ is normally somebody who forgets to acknowledge that another person both took an opportunity on them or invested time, cash, or love of their future,” a 3rd viewer identified.
The condemnation continued, with one other noting, “Barbara is out of contact. There’s a distinction between mega-rich youngsters with no work ethic and entrepreneurs with a supportive household behind them.”
One remark learn, “Think about being an important dad and seeing your daughter graduate school and begin her personal enterprise with assist from you solely to have her come dwelling and inform you she bought shamed for it.”
Regardless of the emotional turbulence, Bartow’s ardour for her date-based spreads satisfied Cuban to supply $100,000 for a 33 p.c stake in Wanna Date — larger than her authentic ask of 20% fairness.
According to Shark Tank Recap, following her look, Bartow’s enterprise skilled the well-known “Shark Tank impact,” with orders flooding in instantly. The corporate ultimately reached greater than $5 million in gross sales and secured distribution in main retailers, together with Walmart, Kroger, and Entire Meals.
When reflecting on the expertise throughout “The Videocraft Present” podcast, Bartow revealed the general public’s overwhelming assist: “When the episode aired, I bought a gazillion emails. America resonated with me.”
Within the years that adopted, Bartow expanded her product line to incorporate new flavors and even launched Wanna Date Dough by way of a profitable Kickstarter marketing campaign that exceeded its $10,000 aim, Meals Republic reports.
Regardless of this promising trajectory, Bartow introduced in November 2024 that Wanna Date was closing.
Whereas Bartow’s enterprise in the end couldn’t overcome the challenges of the aggressive well being meals market, her emotional stand in opposition to Corcoran’s criticism stays a robust reminder that household assist doesn’t diminish entrepreneurial drive — and that typically the Sharks themselves should be checked.
