SEATTLE (Reuters) – Hewlett-Packard Co’s deal to buy 3PAR Inc for an eye-popping $2.4 billion in cash means a massive windfall for insiders and investors in the specialist data storage firm after a decade of toiling away in the obscure backwaters of Silicon Valley.

Chief Executive David Scott stands to get about $96 million, while venture capital firms Menlo Ventures and Worldview Technology Partners — who helped finance the firm’s early expansion — are set to reap many millions in profits from their long-term investments.

Its co-founders, two former Sun Microsystems engineers, will also be multi-millionaires, assuming the deal is completed.

3PAR turned into the talk of Wall Street in the past few weeks as tech heavyweights HP and Dell Inc slugged it out for the chance to add its coveted storage products to the range of gear they already offer big clients.