"I was adopted" - Shark Tank investor Jamie Kern Lima opens up about her childhood

Billionaire investor Jamie Kern Lima joined the most recent episode of Shark Tank. Lima is the co-founder of IT Cosmetics which was later sold to L'Oréal in 2016. She joined as an investor on the show.

Lima currently lives in Los Angeles but had humble beginnings in her life. Attending Washington State University, she graduated as a valedictorian. During this time, she tackled multiple jobs to support herself.

She worked as a news anchor for a while but soon, stepped her foot into the world of business. She was inspired to build a cosmetics brand because of her skin condition called rosacea as she wasn't able to find make-up products that would hide it well on TV.

This prompted her to make something for herself and other people who are struggling with skin conditions just like her.

Recently, on Shark Tank, while a product called Petite Keep was being pitched, Jamie opened up about her past. She revealed,

"The thing I love is when I see the photos, I feel such a congruency with your product. And what I mean by that is, so I'm gonna cry if I say this. I was adopted. And when I found out I was adopted, I was 29."

---

Shark Tank investor Jamie Kern Lima shares her past

Jamie had only found out she was adopted as an adult at 29 years old. She shared that this was when her birth mom had also passed away.

The product, Petite Keep, is described by ABC as a "direct-to-consumer brand that creates beautiful, heirloom-quality keepsake trunks designed to hold life's most cherished memories and mementos."

The product touched Jamie's heart on Shark Tank as she talked about both her mothers, her birth mom, and the mom who raised her. She said that this is a product she would be interested in buying.

For her, the founder of Petite Keep had created a personalized design with a label that said, "Wonder." Wonder is the name of Jamie's daughter and thus, she connected with the product. Continuing about her personal life, she says,

"The first thing I was handed was a necklace that my grandma had given my birth mom. And I just cherish it. And my mom, who raised me, passed a year and a half ago. She's the closest person to me in my life. But I have the baby brush that she would use every day. And when I think about, you know, putting them in here, I think about, number one I would order this."

The nostalgia and personalized feeling of the trunk is what made it special for Jamie. Talking about it, she says,

"What I love about how thoughtful this is, is it looks really good. But then it's so functional and it feels so personal. So I can see it on everyone's registry."

Shark Tank guest Jamie had started her business in her living room in 2008. Her business partner was her husband Paulo Lima, and the two had no prior expertise in the make-up industry. However, with each other's support and research by talking to dermatologists and plastic surgeons, they created IT Cosmetics.

Their brand was inclusive of all skin types and tones. Even after her company was sold to L'Oréal, she continued to grow and expand the business.

---

Shark Tank releases episodes weekly on ABC at 8 PM Eastern Time on Fridays.