Will your start-up idea make the grade in 2012?

As it’s Weekend Reads’ first digest of the year, we thought we’d provide some useful reading for those of you yearning to make 2012 the year you finally do something with that business idea of yours.

But what kind of idea do you have? If you’re still searching around for some inspiration, it might be worth looking at something called the Ten Step Idea Evaluation Worksheet.

Maybe you have the right idea, but don’t have a co-founder. Alas, you can’t find the ideal partner with complementary skills under rocks. So how do you meet your perfect match?

Well, there are plenty of networking events out there, across Australia. And you must have at least one friend who could help you out.

But, before you start your search, it may be helpful to read the tales of how the founders of 17 leading start-ups met. 

Another good way to meet a partner in crime is at an incubator. Speaking of which, could 500 Startups be headed for Australia?

An American concept that has already taken off in Australia is crowdfunding. But it looks like the US isn’t quite as hospitable to the idea as first thought.

Want to know how much funding the world’s most successful start-ups manage to raise, on average? The answer may surprise you.

Finally, ‘best of’ 2011 lists are so, well, last week, but this one caught Weekend Reads’ beady eye – the 10 best young entrepreneurs of last year.