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The company is Manos Accelerator and the owner is Sylvia Flores.

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I applied to the Manos Accelerator virtual program as I do not live in the Bay area. Her program LOOKED and SOUNDED wonderful. Manos Accelerator supposedly has an affiliation with Google Launchpad which was icing on the cake. An accelerator that works with Google wants to help me get my business investor-ready and get me in front of investors? It sounds like a dream come true! Or at least I thought…

I did hours of research on Manos Accelerator. Everything seemed accurate and truthful. Numerous people on their Facebook, Twitter, Producthunt pages gave positive reviews, great articles were written on them, they were holding events with Google…I didn’t find anything bad or untruthful about Manos Accelerator.

So, I paid the $3,000 fee in February 2019.

Everything started off fine, but then she started being late and missing our phone meetings. I would have to email her and remind her of our phone meetings.

She would tell me about pitch events coming up in the Bay area but never send me anything official so I can go to them. No links, no flyers, NOTHING. All I received were dates as if I’m supposed to show up going off of dates only with no other information.

I have repeatedly sent her emails about the affiliation she claimed she has with Cloudways. It wasn’t until I asked for a refund is when I got my answer.

The big one…

She sent me a list of potential investors and had me choose a few of them. She told me she would get in contact with them and set up pitch meetings for me. I waited a few weeks thinking she would eventually get back in contact with me, but she never did. I had to get back in contact with her. She told me she FORGOT about me. I asked her about the investor meetings and she claimed none of them were accepting new startups. Well, why would you have me wasting my time choosing potential investors? She then told me about the investors she had ready for me. I waited a few more weeks. No response again.

Emailed her after waiting for over a month for a response about meeting with potential investors. Multiple emails about the Cloudways Startup program. I never heard anything more about the pitch contest in the Bay area. Her response…she forgot about me.

At this point, I’m livid because it’s now August (we started in February) and nothing promised to me has been done. I asked for a full refund of my $3,000 because she has done nothing for me and made numerous promises she could not keep. I gave her a week to give it to me. She promised to return my $3,000. But I have yet to receive the $3,000…that was on 09/22/2019.

The email where I listed out all the reasons on why I want my refund. The email where she’s apologizing and giving a bunch of excuses (again) and said yes to giving me a refund. It’s past the one week period for my refund. She never responded to this email. I had to ask again a few days later. Her response is unacceptable. She never got back to me either.

Everything I stated here is in writing between her and I.

Even juicer information…

After I asked for a refund THREE times, she had the nerve to send me information claiming there is a $25k grant for women of color and she would give it to me. I guess as “hush money”. No, Sylvia Flores…I want my $3,000 returned immediately.

The bribe after I asked for a refund 3 times.

The invoice she sent to me in order to pay says the company is a nonprofit. The nonprofit was suspended by the Internal Revenue Service. She should not be doing business nor receiving any grant funds.

The invoice she sent me to pay. Notice the EIN number used (highlighted). “Community Revitalization and Education Agency” is Manos Accelerator as they are using the same EIN number.

The business has also been suspended by the Franchise Tax Board and should not be operating with employees.

Manos Accelerator (Sylvia Flores) was suspended by the Franchise Tax Board.

She promised me a refund 10/11/2019 and threatened to report me to the authorities in Mexico and the United States.

I asked her when I can expect my refund and it's my fourth time asking when I will receive my $3,000 refund.

Then she decides to change her mind immediately and say I'm defaming her. I suppose the government is defaming her too because everything I've written I received from the Internal Revenue Service and the California Secretary of State.

Sigh…

As a fellow woman, as a fellow minority, as a fellow startup…I am just devastated. I could have used that $3,000 for an accelerator that would have helped me right along with any other essential startup costs.

I did not want to take it here, but she promised me a refund and I still have yet to receive it (10/13/2019). I also want to warn others about her and her company before they get scammed too. She also shouldn’t be doing business because she’s not even a legal business nor nonprofit.

I will be taking her to court soon. What a huge waste of my time and money.