As nollidge says: they will be predisposed to give positive advice (also because you've just given them something and because these people are already intereste

As nollidge says: they will be predisposed to give positive advice (also because you've just given them something and because these people are already interested in chatting, which usually doesn't last long when they are negative about you(r idea)). However, aren't there intermediate paths that are acceptable, even though they contain white lies? You can tell them it's the idea of a friend who's asked you to invest. You're thinking about it, but want feedback from others, because you have all kinds of worries. That way, you're not getting into the conversation under false pretenses and you're just setting up the story to neutralize their predisposition towards the idea.