Dan Garretson is the founder and Managing Director of CounterFlow Solutions, where he provides ongoing market intelligence and judgment for the space economy — helping investors, operators, and policymakers distinguish real market formation from mission-driven activity and narrative-driven hype. With over 25 years of experience at the intersection of space, policy, technology, and capital, Dan’s work focuses on how demand actually forms in complex, capital-intensive, policy-shaped markets — and how early strategic decisions shape long-term outcomes. Previously, Dan served as a strategic advisor to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), where he led national-level analysis on space transportation, launch, and commercial space integration as a program lead at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI). His work helped inform U.S. space and transportation policy during a pivotal period in the emergence of today’s commercial launch ecosystem. Dan has also advised investors and executive teams across space, infrastructure, mobility, and defense-adjacent markets, including through roles at McKinsey & Company and as a Partner at Concentre. Across these environments, his focus has been on interpreting market signals, pressure-testing assumptions, and supporting high-stakes decisions where uncertainty and ambiguity are the norm. He holds a Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard University and a B.S. in Physics from Caltech. Dan is widely recognized for applying disciplined, contrarian analysis to help organizations understand where markets are actually forming — and where they are not.