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Who founded the Achaemenid Empire?

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Relief of three Achaemenid warriors, known as the Ten Thousand Immortals, depicted in profile on glazed bricks with patterned robes and bows, from the Palace of Artaxerxes at Susa.
Achaemenid Empire Frieze of Archers from the palace of Darius I at Susa, c. 510 bce; some believe the warriors are among the Ten Thousand Immortals.

The Achaemenid Empire was founded by Cyrus the Great, whose conquests marked the beginning of the empire proper.12

While the dynasty is named after Achaemenesā€”the eponymous ancestor of the Persian kingsā€”he was a 7th-century ruler of the vassal state of Parsumash rather than the founder of the imperial state itself. Cyrus the Great expanded his rule from Persia to create an empire that stretched from the Aegean Sea to the Indus River, establishing a legacy of administrative complexity and tolerance toward conquered peoples.231