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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.20

                                 AMENDMENT NO 1

                                       TO

                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

     This Amendment No. 1 to Employment Agreement ("AMENDMENT") is entered into
to be effective as of May 13, 2002 by and between Jeffrey R. Tarr ("EXECUTIVE"),
and Hoover's, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("COMPANY").

     WHEREAS, Executive and Company are parties to that certain Employment
Agreement dated to be effective as of May 22, 2001 (as amended hereby, the
"AGREEMENT"); and

     WHEREAS, Company and Executive now desire to amend the Agreement;

     NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the premises and the mutual
benefits to the parties arising out of this Amendment, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged by the parties' execution and
delivery hereof, Company and Executive agree as follows:

     1.   AMENDMENTS TO THE AGREEMENT.

          (a)  AMENDMENT TO PARAGRAPH 3(b). Paragraph 3(b) of the Agreement is
hereby amended so as to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(b) Executive shall devote his full time, attention and energy
                    to the business of the Company; provided, however, that
                    Executive shall be entitled to (1) serve on corporate, civic
                    or charitable boards or committees (other than those of
                    entities which are competitors of the Company and its
                    affiliates), (2) belong to and attend functions of
                    professional organizations and generally engage in
                    professional development activities, including attending
                    conferences relating to such organizations and activities,
                    and (3) deliver lectures or fulfill speaking engagements;
                    provided further that such activities do not materially
                    impact on Executive's abilities to fully perform his
                    obligations to the Company."

          (b)  AMENDMENT  TO  PARAGRAPHS  6(a) AND 6(c).  Paragraphs  6(a) and
6(c) of the  Agreement  are hereby amended to include the following:

               "... and except after the term of his employment, to the extent
               such information is already known by Executive at the time it is
               disclosed to Executive, is or becomes generally known to the
               public through no wrongful act of Executive, is received by
               Executive from a third party without restriction on disclosure
               and without a breach of any obligation of confidentiality running
               to the Company, or is independently developed by Executive
               without the use of or reference to any Proprietary Information
               received from the Company."

          (c)  AMENDMENT TO PARAGRAPH 6(f). Paragraph 6(f) of the Agreement is
hereby amended so as to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(f) Executive acknowledges that any breach by Executive of this
                    Section 6 will result in irreparable harm to the Company
                    with respect to which no adequate remedy at law exists.
                    Accordingly, in addition to any other remedies available to
                    the Company with respect to any actual or threatened breach
                    of this Agreement, the Company shall be entitled to seek
                    temporary or permanent injunctive relief and Executive
                    consents to any temporary and permanent injunctive relief
                    which may be granted by a court of competent jurisdiction."

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          (d)  AMENDMENT TO PARAGRAPH 6(g). Paragraph 6(g) of the Agreement is
hereby amended so as to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(g) The Company's obligations under Section 7(h)(i) of this
                    Agreement (if any) shall cease in the event of Executive's
                    material breach of his obligations under this Section 6,
                    which material breach continues after ten (10) business
                    days' written notice and opportunity to cure (provided that
                    if the material breach will result in imminent and material
                    harm to the Company, then the Executive shall be required to
                    cure such material breach within the time period reasonably
                    requested by the Board to avoid such material harm)."

          (e)  AMENDMENT TO PARAGRAPH 7(a). Paragraph 7(a) of the Agreement is
hereby amended so as to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(a) The Company shall have the right to terminate the employment
                    of Executive under this Agreement at any time, and without
                    notice, for "Cause" as hereinafter defined. "Cause" for the
                    purpose of this Agreement shall mean any one or more of the
                    following:

                    (i)     the material breach or violation by Executive of
                            this Agreement or the failure of Executive to
                            perform in any material respect any of his
                            obligations under this Agreement for any reason
                            other than death or disability which failure or
                            breach continues after ten business (10) days
                            written notice and opportunity to cure (provided
                            that if the material breach or violation will result
                            in imminent and material harm to the Company, then
                            the Executive shall be required to cure such
                            material breach or violation within the time period
                            reasonably requested by the Board to avoid such
                            material harm),

                    (ii)    gross neglect of duties by Executive,

                    (iii)   misappropriation of Company assets or willful breach
                            of fiduciary duty as an officer of the Company,

                    (iv)    conviction of Executive of a felony, or

                    (v)     the willful failure or refusal of Executive to
                            follow in all material respects a lawful and ethical
                            direction from the Board, which directive is
                            consistent with the scope and nature of the
                            Executive's duties and responsibilities hereunder of
                            the Chief Executive Officer and President of a
                            company and which failure or refusal continues after
                            ten (10) business days' written notice and
                            opportunity to cure (provided that if the failure or
                            refusal will result in imminent and material harm to
                            the Company, then the Executive shall be required to
                            cure such failure or refusal within the time period
                            reasonably requested by the Board to avoid such
                            material harm)."

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          (f)  AMENDMENTS TO PARAGRAPH 7(c). Paragraph 7(c)(ii) of the Agreement
is hereby amended so as to read in its entirety as follows:

                    "(ii)   A material reduction in Executive's duties and/or
                            responsibilities as the Chief Executive Officer and
                            President, responsible for directing the operations
                            of the Company, which reduction in duties and/or
                            responsibilities continues after ten (10) days'
                            written notice to Company of Executive's objection
                            to this material reduction in duties and/or
                            responsibilities. A material reduction in duties
                            and/or responsibilities shall be considered taking
                            into account all of the facts and circumstances,
                            including without limitation the revenues, strategic
                            direction and the number of employees of the
                            operation(s) managed by Executive prior to and
                            following such reduction in Executive's duties
                            and/or responsibilities. For the avoidance of doubt,
                            the change in Executive's status from the Chief
                            Executive Officer of a public company to the Chief
                            Executive Officer of a division or a subsidiary of a
                            public or non-public company would be considered a
                            material reduction in duties for the purpose of this
                            Section 7(c)(ii)";

          In addition, a new paragraph 7(c) (iv) shall be added as follows, with
the current paragraph 7(c)(iv) redesignated as 7(c) (v):

                    "(ii)   The assignment of duties to Executive materially
                            inconsistent with either Executive's prior duties as
                            Chief Executive Officer of the Company or reasonable
                            duties assigned to a Chief Executive Officer of a
                            similar company."

          (g)  AMENDMENT TO PARAGRAPH 7(h)(i). Paragraph 7(h)(i) of the
Agreement is hereby amended so as to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(h) In the event of a termination by Company without Cause on or
                    prior to other termination of this Agreement, or the
                    termination by Executive for Good Reason on or prior to
                    other termination of this Agreement (the parties each
                    acknowledge that, in the event of an event constituting Good
                    Reason arising as a result of or following a Change of
                    Control of the Company, Executive will have a period of six
                    (6) months following such event to terminate this Agreement
                    and receive the compensation and benefits described below),
                    the Executive shall be entitled to the following:

                    (i)     as severance compensation, his then applicable
                            salary compensation for a period of twelve (12)
                            months, less all applicable withholdings required by
                            state or federal law (and the Executive shall be
                            under no obligation to mitigate his damages or seek
                            other employment) (the "Severance Payment"), which
                            Severance Payment shall be payable by the Company as
                            a lump sum within thirty (30) days of such
                            termination;"

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          (h)  ADDITION OF PARAGRAPH 7(i). The Agreement is hereby amended to
provide for the addition of Paragraph 7(i) to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(i) In addition to the Severance Payment and related benefits
                    provided for in Section 7(h) above, in the event of: (a) a
                    termination by the Company without Cause, within the period
                    commencing with a public announcement of the Company's
                    intention to effect a Change of Control of the Company and
                    continuing for a period of eighteen (18) months thereafter
                    (provided that the obligation to provide the benefits
                    described below will be triggered by this subparagraph (a)
                    only in the event that such Change of Control is completed),
                    or (b) a termination by the Executive within the first six
                    (6) months following a Change of Control of the Company
                    based on a significant reduction of Executive's compensation
                    or benefits, a relocation of Executive's office by a
                    distance of greater than 50 miles, or the death or
                    disability of Executive, or (c) termination by Executive for
                    any reason after completing a minimum of six (6) months of
                    Employment with the Company following a Change of Control of
                    the Company, the Executive shall be entitled to the
                    following:

                    (i)     as severance compensation, his then applicable
                            salary compensation (payable monthly) for a period
                            of six (6) months from the date of such
                            termination, less all applicable withholdings
                            required by state or federal law (and the
                            Executive shall be under no obligation to mitigate
                            his damages or seek other employment) (the "Change
                            of Control Severance Payment"),;

          (i)  ADDITION OF PARAGRAPH 7(j). The Agreement is hereby amended to
provide for the addition of Paragraph 7(j) to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(j) In addition to the Change of Control Severance Payment and
                    related benefits provided for in Section 7(i) above, in the
                    event of: (a) a termination by the Company without Cause,
                    within the period commencing with a public announcement of
                    the Company's intention to effect a Change of Control of the
                    Company and continuing for a period of eighteen (18) months
                    thereafter, or (b) a termination by the Executive for Good
                    Reason at any time within eighteen (18) months following a
                    public announcement of a Change of Control of the Company
                    (provided that the obligation to provide the benefits
                    described below will be triggered by subparagraphs (a) or
                    (b) only in the event that such Change of Control is
                    completed), the Executive shall be entitled to the
                    following:

                    (i)     the pro rata portion of his bonus for the
                            then-current fiscal year, calculated by multiplying
                            the maximum bonus for which Executive is eligible
                            for such full fiscal year (such maximum bonus is
                            currently set at fifty percent (50%) of Executive's
                            base salary for the fiscal year ending March 31,
                            2003; in the event that at any point in a subsequent
                            fiscal year, the Board has not yet specified a bonus
                            plan for Executive, then the maximum bonus to which
                            Executive was entitled in the previous fiscal year
                            will apply for the purposes of this paragraph) and
                            multiplying it by the number of days in such fiscal
                            year through the date of termination divided by 365;
                            and

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                    (ii)    the option to continue to receive benefits equal to
                            or greater than those benefits provided under the
                            Company's health and disability benefit plans in
                            which Executive and/or his family are participating
                            as of the date of termination as described in
                            Section 5 at a cost no greater than the then current
                            cost of such benefits to Executive as of the date of
                            termination for a period of twelve (12) months
                            following the termination.

          (j)  Addition of Paragraph 7(k). The Agreement is hereby amended to
provide for the addition of Paragraph 7(k) to read in its entirety as follows

               (k)  "In addition to the Change of Control Severance Payment and
                    additional benefits provided for in Sections 7(i) and 7(j)
                    above, in the event of a termination by the Company without
                    Cause, within the period commencing with a public
                    announcement of the Company's intention to effect a Change
                    of Control of the Company and continuing for a period of
                    eighteen (18) months thereafter (provided that the
                    obligation to provide the payments described below will be
                    triggered by the above provision only in the event that such
                    Change of Control is completed), the Executive shall be
                    entitled to the following:

                    (i)     a cash payment equal to the aggregate value (as
                            calculated below) of that portion of Executive's
                            Eligible Stock Options (as defined below) that would
                            have become vested and exercisable by virtue of such
                            Change of Control of the Company and not otherwise
                            vested and exercisable on the date of Executive's
                            termination (such portion of the Eligible Stock
                            Options being the "CIC Options"). The value per CIC
                            Option shall be the difference between the fair
                            market value as of the date of such Change of
                            Control of the cash, securities or other
                            consideration payable in exchange for each share of
                            the Company's common stock in connection with such
                            Change of Control and the exercise price for such
                            CIC Option. By way of example, if: (i) Executive
                            would have been entitled to accelerated vesting and
                            exercise of 200,000 Eligible Stock Options by virtue
                            of the completion of a Change of Control and which
                            are not otherwise vested and exercisable on his date
                            of termination; (ii) the completed Change of Control
                            results in each share of the Company's common stock
                            being converted into the right to receive shares of
                            stock in the acquiring or resulting company valued
                            at $7.50 per share plus $2.00 in cash; and (iii) the
                            weighted average exercise price of the 200,000 CIC
                            Options is equal to $4.50 per share; then Executive
                            will be entitled to 200,000 times ($9.50 - $4.50) or
                            One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) pursuant to this
                            provision. The "Eligible Stock Options" refer to
                            options granted to the Executive to acquire: (i)
                            225,000 shares of the Company's common stock at an
                            exercise price of $3.40 per share granted on May 22,
                            2001; (ii) 150,000 shares of the Company's common
                            stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share
                            granted on May 22, 2001; and (iii) 150,000 shares of
                            the Company's common stock at an exercise price of
                            $5.30 per share granted on May 13, 2002.

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          (k)  Addition of Paragraph 7(l). The Agreement is hereby amended to
provide for the addition of Paragraph 7(l) to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(l) In the event that any payment or distribution by the Company
                    to or for the benefit of the Executive (whether paid or
                    payable or distributed or distributable pursuant to the
                    terms of this Agreement or otherwise,) (a "Payment") is
                    determined to be subject to the excise tax imposed by
                    Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code, or any interest
                    or penalties are incurred by the Executive with respect to
                    such excise tax (such excise tax, together with any such
                    interest and penalties, are hereinafter collectively
                    referred to as the "Excise Tax"), then the Company shall pay
                    to the Executive an additional payment (a "Gross-Up
                    Payment") in an amount such that after payment by Executive
                    of all such excise taxes on any such payment (including any
                    interest or penalties imposed with respect thereto)
                    including any Excise Tax imposed upon the Gross-Up Payment,
                    Executive retains an amount of the Gross-Up Payment equal to
                    the Excise Tax imposed upon all such payments."

          (l)  AMENDMENT TO PARAGRAPH 8(c). Paragraph 8(c) of the Agreement is
hereby amended so as to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(c) During the Non-Compete Period, the Executive shall not
                    solicit or encourage any of the following to discontinue
                    his, her or its relationship with the Company or any
                    subsidiary of the Company; (i) employees, (ii) suppliers,
                    distributors or customers, (iii) former employees whose
                    employment has been terminated for less than six (6) months,
                    or (iv) potential suppliers, distributors or customers
                    Executive had contact with or performed services for during
                    his employment with the Company;"

          (m)  Amendment TO PARAGRAPH 8(g). Paragraph 8(g) of the Agreement is
hereby amended so as to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(g) The Executive acknowledges that any breach by his of this
                    Agreement will result in irreparable harm to the Company
                    with respect to which no adequate remedy at law shall exist.
                    Accordingly, in addition to any other remedies available to
                    the Company with respect to any actual or threatened breach
                    of this Agreement, the Company shall be entitled to seek
                    temporary or permanent injunctive relief and the Executive
                    consents to the entry of any temporary and permanent
                    injunctive relief, (together with temporary restraining
                    orders ancillary to the same) which may be granted by a
                    court of competent jurisdiction;"

          (n)  AMENDMENT TO PARAGRAPH 8(h). Paragraph 8(h) of the Agreement is
hereby amended so as to read in its entirety as follows:

               "(h) The Company's obligations under Section 7(h)(i) of this
                    Agreement (if any) shall cease in the event of Executive's
                    material breach of his obligations under this Section 8,
                    which material breach continues after ten (10) business
                    days' written notice and opportunity to cure (provided that
                    if the material breach will result in imminent and material
                    harm to the Company, then the Executive shall be required to
                    cure such material breach within the time period reasonably
                    requested by the Board to avoid such material harm); and"

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     2.   NO OTHER CHANGES/PROMISES. Except as specifically set forth in this
Amendment, the terms and provisions of the Agreement shall remain unmodified and
the Agreement is hereby confirmed by the parties as being in full force and
effect as amended herein. This Amendment and the Agreement constitute the entire
understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter thereof, and no
other covenants have been made by either party to the other.

     3.   INCORPORATION OF PROVISIONS. The terms and provisions of Paragraphs
12-18 of the Agreement are incorporated herein by reference.

     4.   COUNTERPARTS. This Amendment may be executed in counterparts, each of
which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which, taken together, shall
constitute one and the same agreement.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Amendment to be executed
to be effective as of the day and year first above written.

                                    "COMPANY"

                                    HOOVERS, INC., a Delaware corporation


                                    By:
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                    Name:
                                         ---------------------------------------
                                    Title:
                                          --------------------------------------

                                    "EXECUTIVE"


                                    --------------------------------------------
                                    Jeffrey R. Tarr
                                    Social Security # :
                                                       -------------------------

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