Silergy Corp, listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in 2013, has grown into a unicorn valued at 8 billion yuan ($1.16 billion). [Photo/Global Chinese Wechat]

When You Budong and his friends decided to leave Silicon Valley and set up their semiconductors start-up in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province in 2008, it may have been seen as a risk by some.

But, eight years on, few would doubt the wisdom of returning to China. Their once-small start-up, Silergy Corp, has grown into a unicorn valued at 8 billion yuan ($1.16 billion) on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Silergy Corp has thrived by spotting and tapping into the explosive growth of China’s technology and consumer electronics industries during the last decade. The company designs and manufactures a range of high-power analog integrated circuits, which are used in everything from automobiles to computers, televisions and LED devices.

You Budong, co-founder of Silergy Corp, works in the semiconductors industry for 16 years. [Photo/Global Chinese Wechat]

You brought 36 US patents to the company when he co-founded Silergy in 2008. He now says that his ambition is for Silergy to challenge global industry leaders like US-based Texas Instruments or the German company Infineon, or even go beyond them.

You is confident that his company has a bright future. He predicts that Internet-related industries will grow rapidly in China over the next ten years, creating many opportunities for semiconductors companies.

Silergy will also work to help Chinese companies become more energy efficient, You says.