"And doesn't it show just how insane VC funding is, when you realize that some of the investors may actually be disappointed?"
I imagine I'd be disappointed too if this 50% return didn't cover the 55%-100% losses on other investments... VC investment seems to be a game of extremes, both up & down.
(Per above comment, I work at the VC that invested in Airwatch): Because Insight is a growth stage VC deploying a significant amount of capital with each investment (in AirWatch's case, it was 200M), it's aiming for virtually all hits (unlike an earlier stage VC that's aiming for 1 out of 10 of their portfolio co's to succeed wildly)-- which it almost always succeeds in achieving. This also means that it gets lower returns on its funds relative to an earlier stage VC. Given the growth stage focus, that's to be expected and its LPs prefer the reliable (and relatively substantial) upside given the fund sizes. AKA Insight's not dealing with 55%-100% losses on other investments.
I imagine I'd be disappointed too if this 50% return didn't cover the 55%-100% losses on other investments... VC investment seems to be a game of extremes, both up & down.