Validating SaaS trends by "spying" on VC public portfolios?

I've been trying to cut through the AI noise to find actual B2B niches worth building for in 2026.

One research hack I’ve been using is tracking the public holdings of top-tier VCs to see where they are actually putting cash (vs. just what they tweet about).

For example, looking at the latest thrive capital 13f filings, you can see a distinct shift towards specific enterprise infrastructure layers rather than just consumer apps. It’s a solid signal on where the "smart money" thinks the durability is.

I use this tool to track their latest moves: https://www.13radar.com/filer/thrive-capital-management

Does anyone else here use institutional data for market research/validation, or do you stick to SEO keywords?